In 2013, South Korea’s market share of global trade fell for the first time since the 1998 financial crisis, according to data from the Bank of Korea and the Korea International Trade Association on Tuesday.
Among the World Trade Organization members, the country took ninth place, falling one notch from 2012, the figures showed. Topping the list was China, followed by the U.S., Germany, Japan, France, the Netherlands, the U.K. and Hong Kong. In 1998, South Korea fell to 14th place from 12th place in 1997.