South Korea IT exports rise, car exports down

South Korean exports of information-technology items rose sharply in first the six months of 2013 but those of cars fell, the government said. IT exports totaled $81.24 billion in the January-June period, up 10.9 percent from the same period of last year, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday. Yonhap News reported the exports were driven by growing demand for mobile communication devices and semiconductors. The country exported 1.58 million automobile units in the six months of 2013, down 6.7 percent from last year, Yonhap said. The decline resulted because of sharply lower shipments to European and Asian destinations.