According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL = Yonhap News) South Korea's current account surplus widened in December from the previous month on an increase in exports with the combined yearly surplus topping the estimate, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Wednesday.

The current account surplus reached US$6.43 billion in December, up from $6.03 billion in November, according to the central bank. The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade.

Korea posted a surplus for the 23rd straight month in December with the combined surplus hitting a record $70.73 billion in 2013, it said.

The BOK's estimate for 2013 was $70 billion in surplus. Its 2014 surplus forecast is $55 billion.

The balance of Korea's goods posted a surplus of $5.71 billion in December, smaller than the surplus of $6.18 billion in November.

In December, overseas shipments jumped 10.9 percent on-year to $49.28 billion and imports rose 2.2 percent to $43.57 billion.

The service account, which includes outlays by South Koreans on overseas trips, posted a surplus of $437.6 million last month, compared with a deficit of $697.2 million in November.

The primary income account, which tracks wages of foreign workers and dividend payments overseas, logged a surplus of $419.6 million in December, down from a surplus of $588.8 million in November.

The capital and financial account, which covers cross-border investments, posted a net outflow of $6.36 billion in December, compared with a net outflow of $6.33 billion the previous month, the BOK said.