[앵커]
Although the current account recorded a surplus of $6.9 billion in October, the surplus was reduced by 40% compared to a year earlier.
The reason for the increase in imports was the surge in international raw material prices, and this trend is expected to continue for the time being.
Reporter Park Byung-han reports.
[기자]
Last October, the current account recorded a surplus of $6.95 billion, recording a surplus for the 18th consecutive month.
However, the surplus was down 40% from $11.55 billion in October last year.
The increase in imports greatly outpaced the growth in exports due to a surge in raw material prices such as crude oil, and the current account surplus narrowed.
In particular, the goods account surplus was 5.64 billion dollars, a decrease of 45% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Exports increased by 20% to USD 55.97 billion, and imports surged 38.2% to USD 50.34 billion.
Imports of raw materials increased significantly, with petroleum products increasing 266%, gas 136% and crude oil 82%.
Excluding energy, import growth and export growth were at similar levels, realizing our economy’s high dependence on foreign energy.
[이성호 / 한국은행 금융통계부장 : 2021년 1~10월 중 수출이 26% 증가했고 총수입에서 에너지를 제외한 수입이 25.7% 증가했습니다. 조금 차이는 있지만 (에너지를 제외하면 수출과 수입 증가율이) 거의 비슷하다고 볼 수 있습니다.]
As raw material prices continue to rise due to seasonal factors, the current account surplus is expected to narrow at the end of the year.
However, the Bank of Korea predicted that it would be possible to achieve its target of 92 billion dollars in surplus this year.
This is YTN Park Byung-han.
YTN Park Byung-han (bhpark@ytn.co.kr)
[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
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