THE volume of container cargo processed at South Korea's seaports rose 1.3 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2021 as global trade continued to recover from economic jitters sparked by the new coronavirus pandemic, the country's oceans ministry said, according to Yonhap News Agency

Container cargo processed at the seaports reached 7.29 millionTEU in the January-March period, rising from the previous year's 7.19 millionTEU, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Processed export-import cargo jumped 4.5 per cent year on year to reach 4.24 million TEU in the first quarter, which the ministry attributed the growth to stronger trade with China and Canada.

South Korea said it expects the amount of container cargo processed at seaports to continue to rise down the road in line with the global vaccine inoculation programme, coupled with economic stimulus measures by major economies.