SEOUL, June 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's automotive export fell for a second straight month in May due to fewer business days and production disruption of auto parts, government data showed Wednesday.
The outbound car shipment declined 5.9 percent from a year earlier to 5.83 billion U.S. dollars in May, after reducing 5.5 percent in the previous month, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
The downturn was attributed to fewer working days and the fire at a local parts supplier that disrupted auto output.
Auto exports to the United States diminished 2.9 percent to 2.44 billion dollars, and shipments to the European Union (EU) retreated 6.5 percent to 783 million dollars.
Shipments to Asia tumbled in double figures to 428 million dollars in the cited month.
Demand remained strong for eco-friendly vehicles, the export of which expanded 9.9 percent to 2.40 billion dollars in May on a yearly basis.
The eco-friendly vehicles include electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The number of exported vehicles totaled 230,072 in May, down 6.6 percent compared to the same month of last year. Auto parts shipments shrank 3.0 percent to 1.61 billion dollars.
The number of vehicles manufactured in local factories decreased 8.2 percent to 329,559 last month.
The number of cars sold inside the country, including locally-made and imported vehicles, was 127,315 in May, down 10.3 percent from a year earlier. ■