Seoul, April 01 (QNA) - South Korea's monthly exports jumped to nearly 50 percent from a year earlier on the back of record shipments of semiconductors, government data showed Wednesday.

Outbound shipments totaled $86.13 billion last month, up 48.3 percent on-year, according to the data compiled by South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

Imports also rose 13.2 percent on-year to $60.4 billion in March, resulting in a trade surplus of $25.74 billion.

  Semiconductor exports spiked 151.4 percent on-year to an all-time high of $32.83 billion last month, breaching the $30 billion mark for the first time ever.

The ministry attributed the strong performance of the chip sector to high memory chip prices and continued global demand fueled by massive investments in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

Car exports gained 2.2 percent on-year to $6.37 billion, as strong demand for eco-friendly models, including electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars, helped offset shipment disruptions caused by the Middle Eastern crisis.

By destination, exports to China escalated 64 percent on-year to $16.5 billion last month, while exports to the United States advanced 47.1 percent to $16.34 billion, driven by strong demand for chips and computers. Shipments to the European Union went up 19.3 percent to $7.47 billion.

Exports to the Middle East, however, tumbled 49.1 percent on-year to $900 million, apparently due to the ongoing conflict in the region. (QNA)