In spite of dampened consumer appetite amid worries surrounding economic recession, South Korea's car imports grew over 10 percent in September from a year earlier.
The monthly import log is a sharp contrast to the 31.3 percent year-on-year decline in exports by local carmakers, whose overseas shipments came to $1.79 billion in September.
A total of $237 million worth of foreign vehicles landed in South Korea last month, up 12.8 percent from the same period a year earlier, Yonhap News reported citing a report by the Korea Customs Service.
The report showed cumulative imports of foreign vehicles during the nine months of this year totaled $2.77 billion, accounting for 8.9 percent of the nation's exports.