South Korea posted a merchandise trade surplus of $1.64 billion in October, Statistics Korea said on Wednesday.
That beat forecasts for a deficit of $2.00 billion following the $3.70 billion surplus in September.
Exports rose 5.1 percent on year, shy of estimates for an increase of 5.5 percent following the 4.4 percent contraction in the previous month.
Imports tumbled an annual 9.7 percent versus expectations for a decline of 4.3 percent after plummeting 16.5 percent a month earlier.
