S Korea's export sentiment for 1st quarter of 2009 hits record low

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Chinese media) -- South Korea's export sentiment for the first quarter of next year dr

released by Korea International Trade Association (KITA) on Friday.

According the survey of 802 South Korean exporters, the export business

sentiment index dropped to 33.4 for the January-March period in 2009, down from

82.8 in the current quarter.

The South Korean economy, which exports account for about 40 percent of the

nation's gross domestic product, has been hit hard by the U.S.-sparked economic

slowdown.

The export business sentiment index below 100 indicates that the number of

companies forecasting exports will deteriorate outnumbered those expecting

improvement.