SEOUL, May 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export fell 2 percent in April from a year earlier, keeping a downward trend for the fifth consecutive month, a government report showed Wednesday.

Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, amounted to 48.86 billion U.S. dollars in April, down two percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The export continued to decline for five months since December last year.

Import increased 2.4 percent over the year to 44.74 billion dollars in April, sending the trade surplus to 4.12 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for 87 months in a row.