Korea has surpassed Italy to become the world’s eighth largest trading nation, according to the latest World Trade Organization (WTO) statistics. Korea’s ranking has been climbing steadily since the country reached 13th in 2000, and in 2012 the nation’s trade volume exceeded US$1 trillion for the second straight year. Over the last 10 years, Korea and China have grown considerably, with China threatening to beat the US to become the world’s top trader. Germany and the Netherlands have continued to perform strongly, while Japan and Italy have struggled in recent years.

* Source : Ministry of Strategy and Finance and Korea Development Institute, Economic Bulletin Vol.35 No.3 (March 2013).
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