Photo : Reuters / Yonhap
South Korea’s crude oil imports from the Middle East plunged more than 37 percent in April from a year earlier amid fallout from regional conflict, while imports from the United States rose to nearly match those from top supplier Saudi Arabia.
According to data from the Korea International Trade Association on Sunday, South Korea imported about eight-point-46 million tons of crude oil in April, down 22-point-eight percent from ten-point-96 million tons a year earlier.
Imports from the Middle East fell 37-point-three percent to about four-point-49 million tons. The region still accounted for the largest share of total crude imports at 53-point-one percent, though that was down from 65-point-two percent a year earlier.
Crude imports from Saudi Arabia, South Korea’s largest supplier, dropped 37-point-six percent to two-million-146-thousand tons. Imports from the United States rose 13-point-four percent to two-million-145-thousand tons, narrowing the gap to roughly one-thousand tons.
Meanwhile, crude imports from the United Arab Emirates surged 81-point-six percent to one-point-four million tons after the government dispatched a special envoy to secure supplies.