Roundup: S. Korea posts current account surplus for 39 straight months

South Korea posted current account surplus for 39 months in a row, the longest surplus trend in history, central bank data showed Thursday.

Current account surplus, the broadest measures of cross-border capital flow, was 8.65 billion U.S. dollars in May, up 6.3 percent from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The current account balance stayed in black for 39 straight months since March 2012, topping the 38-month-long surplus from June 1986.

For the first five months of this year, the current account surplus reached 40.24 billion dollars, up 27.9 percent from the same period of last year.

The BOK set its 2015 outlook for current account surplus at 96 billion dollars on the back of low crude oil prices.

The current account surplus had kept a record-breaking trend with 81.15 billion dollars in 2013 and 89.22 billion dollars in 2014.

The recent surplus trend came as imports declined at a faster pace than exports, indicating the so-called "surplus of recession type."

The continued foreign capital inflow put upward pressure on the South Korean currency to the U.S. dollar, hurting the price competitiveness of local exporters.

On a customs basis, exports tumbled 10.9 percent from a year earlier to 42.37 billion dollars in May. Shipments of chips and telecommunication devices increased, but those for ships, consumer electronics and oil products slid in May.

Exports to Japan and the Middle East declined 13.5 percent and 12.9 percent each in May from a year earlier, but those to the Southeast Asian Nations jumped 10.5 percent.

Imports plunged 15.4 percent from a year earlier to 36.07 billion dollars in May, sending the trade surplus to 9.19 billion dollars in May from 12.56 billion dollars in April.

Imports of raw materials and capital goods tumbled 24.7 percent and 3.4 percent each last month, but consumer goods imports gained 2.1 percent on demand for foreign luxury cars.

Service account balance, which measures the flow of travel, transport costs and royalties, logged a deficit of 400 million dollars in May, down from a 1.13-billion-dollar deficit in April.

Primary income account, which includes monthly salaries and investment income, turned from a deficit of 2.84 billion dollars in April to a surplus of 290 million dollars in May.

Financial account, which gauges cross-border capital flow without transactions in goods and services, logged an outflow of 8. 81 billion dollars in May, down from an outflow of 10.06 billion dollars.

Direct investment registered an outflow of 1.2 billion dollars in May, down from a 1.97-billion-dollar outflow in April.

Portfolio investment, which includes stock and bond transactions, recorded an outflow of 360 million dollars in May, up from an outflow of 140 million dollars in April.

Other investment account, including trade credit and foreign debts, posted an outflow of 4.76 billion dollars, little changed from the previous month. Endi