Cars for export at a port in the city of Ulsan, May 12 / Yonhap
Korea's auto exports decreased more than 5 percent from a year earlier in April, amid a sharp decrease in shipments to the Middle East due to a geopolitical crisis there, government data showed Wednesday.
The combined value of automobile exports came to $6.17 billion last month, down 5.5 percent from the same month last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
Outbound shipments to North America, Latin America and Oceania went up by 2.4 percent, 23.7 percent and 20.1 percent on-year, respectively, but exports to the Middle East plunged 38.7 percent amid the ongoing war between the United States and Iran.
Exports to the European Union also slid 13.1 percent, while shipments to Asia plunged 31.7 percent.
