South Korea’s exports increased by 1.4 percent in November from a year ago, driven by strong demand for semiconductors, data showed on Sunday.

According to data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the country’s outbound shipments rose 1.4 percent year-on-year to $56.35 billion in November.

Exports of mainstay semiconductors stood at $12.5 billion, up 30.8 percent during the cited period. Pharmaceutical exports also climbed 19.6 percent year-on-year to a record $1.4 billion in November.

Despite the increase, however, exports of five out of the 15 major items fell in November from a year ago.

Automobile exports dropped 13.6 percent year-on-year to $5.6 billion.

Industry insiders raise concerns over a bleak outlook. Export growth has slowed to 4.6 percent in October and 1.4 percent in November.