SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's exports for the first 20 days of October fell 2.9% from a year earlier, customs agency data showed on Monday.

Exports of semiconductors rose 36.1%, but cars fell 3.3% and petroleum products dropped 40.0%; by destination, shipments to China rose 1.2%, while those to the United States and the European Union fell 2.6% and 8.9%, respectively.

In September, exports rose for the 12th consecutive month, but the pace of growth cooled.

On average per working day, exports were up 1.0%.