Korea's exports surged 50.4 percent from a year earlier in the first 20 days of this month, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $53.3 billion in the March 1-20 period, compared with $35.4 billion tallied over the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports increased 19.7 percent on-year to $41.2 billion during the period, resulting in a trade surplus of $12.1 billion, the data showed.