S. Korea's auto export falls for 2nd month in March

South Korea's automotive export fell for the second consecutive month due to weaker global demand for locally-made vehicles, government data showed Thursday.

Car shipment declined 5.0 percent from a year earlier to 6.17 billion U.S. dollars in March, after retreating 7.8 percent in the previous month, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The number of exported vehicles was 249,718 in March, down 5.0 percent from a year earlier.

Export for eco-friendly cars slumped 8.5 percent to 2.08 billion dollars last month, continuing to slide for the second month.

Car export to North America gained 13.4 percent to 3.57 billion dollars, but those to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa diminished in double figures.

Auto parts shipment shrank 6.9 percent to 1.91 billion dollars in March compared to the same month of last year.

The number of vehicles, manufactured in local factories, dwindled 10.8 percent to 365,497 last month.

The number of cars sold in South Korea, including locally-made and imported vehicles, came to 146,019 in March, down 12.0 percent from a year earlier.