South Korea's exports rose 7.7 percent in August from a year ago, helped by robust shipments of cars and technology products, official data released on Sunday showed.

Exports from Asia's fourth-largest economy increased to $46.37 billion, Seoul's trade ministry said. In July, exports grew 2.6 percent.

Imports gained 0.8 percent on-year to reach $41.45 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.9 billion in August compared to a $2.5 billion surplus in July and $1.9 billion a year earlier.

Overseas shipments of the country's key export items, such as cars and mobile devices, surged 43.9 percent and 25.9 percent respectively year-on-year.

Exports of ships and home appliances soared about 26 percent each.

Global Times