Korea's container cargo handling rises 8 pct in June

SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- Container cargo handled at South Korea's seaports rose 8 percent in June from a year earlier as the country's trade grew and an increasing number of companies used the country as a stopover for their cargo, government data showed Wednesday. Container cargo handled at the country's seaports amounted to 1.8 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up from 1.67 million units handled in the same month last year, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. The June tally marked the fourth consecutive month the amount of container cargo shipped in and out of the country's ports exceeded 1.8 million TEUs. Last month's growth was largely driven by a 12.4 percent increase in the amount of transshipment cargo, or cargo handled here while en route to a different final destination. The amount of export-import cargo rose 4.8 percent on-year to 1.06 million TEUs, according to the ministry. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy earlier said the country's exports in June rose 14.5 percent from a year earlier with its imports jumping 27.4 percent. "The growth of export-import cargo steadily slowed since its peak in March (a 17.5 percent increase), but the amount of transshipment cargo showed a double-digit increase for the fourth consecutive month in June," the transportation ministry said in a press release. By port, cargo handled at the country's largest port in Busan, located some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, jumped 12.4 percent from the same period last year to 1.38 million TEUs. Gwangyang, 420 kilometers south of the capital, posted a 7.3 percent decline to 161,000 TEUs, however, as an injection of new ships by large shipping companies in May continued to lead to a temporary reduction of cargo handled there, according to the ministry.