Trade between South Korea ，Russia soars 52-fold in 20 years

Sept. 29  -- Trade between South Korea and Russia has surged 52-fold since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations 20 years ago, a government report showed Wednesday.

During the period, exports to Russia shot up 35.5 times to $4.19 billion as of 2009, making the country South Korea's 22nd-largest overseas market, while imports jumped 77.4-fold to $5.79 billion.

South Korea, which imports steel products, aluminum, scrap metal and energy resources from Russia, generally posted a deficit but pulled off a surplus from 2006 through 2008, thanks mainly to greater demand for South Korean-made manufactured goods. Last year's deficit was due to a sharp drop in consumer spending in Russia, which reported minus economic growth.