[SEOUL] South Korea's current account surplus rose in May to a seasonally adjusted US$8.12 billion from US$5.14 billion in the previous month, central bank data showed on Friday, but remained smaller than the surplus seen in March.

Exports in May gained 4.7 per cent from April to US$41.28 billion while imports rose 4.5 per cent to US$31.98 billion over the same period to result in a goods account surplus of US$9.3 billion, the Bank of Korea said. All figures were adjusted for seasonal factors.

Without seasonal adjustments, the current account surplus in May stood at US$10.36 billion, up from US$3.37 billion in April and the highest since September of last year.

REUTERS