South Korea recorded a merchandise trade surplus of $3.17 billion in October, as reported by the Customs Office on Friday. This figure fell short of the anticipated $4.23 billion surplus and represented a decrease from the $6.66 billion surplus reported in September. Exports experienced a year-on-year increase of 4.6 percent, which was less than the projected 6.9 percent rise and followed a 7.5 percent growth in the previous month. Meanwhile, imports increased by 1.7 percent on an annual basis, slightly below the expected 2.0 percent gain, and down from a 2.2 percent rise observed in the preceding month.