Thanks to growing exports in automobiles and petrol products , South Korea ran a $ 130 million trade surplus with the European Union ( EU ) in August , reported the Korea Customs Service ( KCS ) . This is a considerable improvement from July , when the nation saw a $ 1 . 99 billion deficit during the first month the Korea - EU FTA came into effect . When compared to the same period last year ( $ 245 million ) , however , the surplus has nearly halved August exports showed marked growth in automobiles ( 163 %), petroleum products ( 179 %), auto parts ( 29 %), and steel ( 24 %) to yield an overall increase of 15 % compared to last year at $ 4 . 3 billion . In particular , auto exports jumped from $ 158 million to $ 415 million , while petroleum products made a similar leap from $ 148 million to $ 413 million . In contrast , exports dwindled for IT products like flat panel displays ( - 52 %), semiconductors ( - 39 %), mobile equipments ( - 37 %), and visual equipments ( - 28 %), hinting at further difficulties ahead . Imports from the EU spiked for aircrafts and parts ( 864 %), transformers and electric equipments ( 75 %), and textile and chemical equipments ( 69 %) to add up to a 19 % growth in overall imports compared to last year at $ 4 . 2 billion . For consumer goods , imports soared for watches ( 733 %), perfumes ( 76 %), bags ( 56 %), and shoes ( 48 %) due to growing demand for luxury designer labels , while those of autos ( - 31 %), pesticides and pharmaceuticals ( - 5 %) declined . [ Written by Samji Chung / edited by Soyoung Chung ] ▶ [ 화보 ] 김하늘 , 수영복 몸매 화제 ` 늘씬 하 네 ~`▶ 기아차 , 신형 프라이드 성능 보 니 " 와우 ! "▶ 최준희 , 12 주 만 에 80 kg 감량 화제 ▶ 써니 , “ 내게 집착 하 던 남자 연예인 있 다 ” ▶ 영정 속 웃 고 있 는 故 장효조 감독 [ 아츠 포토 ] [ ⓒ Maeil Business Newspaper & mk . co . kr , All rights reserved ]