South Korea's agriculture and seafood exports surged in the first half of he year, fueled by strong overseas demand for fresh farm products and processed food, the government said Wednesday.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said $2.1 billion (€1.3 billion) worth of farm products and seafood were exported in the January-June period, up 21.4 percent from the previous year.

For all of 2007, the country shipped $3.8 billion (€2.4 billion) worth of agriculture and fisheries goods overseas. Of the total, farm and processed food accounted for over $1.3 billion (€825,180), with seafood exports reaching about $713.3 million (€452.8 million).

"The export gains are noteworthy since they were achieved in the face of unfavorable conditions like high oil prices, a strike by the country's transportation workers union and bird flu that halted exports of poultry," a official said.

He said sharp gains in sales to China, Russia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Middle East contributed to the boost of overall sales.

Exports to China and Russia were up 23.1 percent and 40.0 percent, respectively, on an annual basis. The figure is higher than the export gains to Japan, which reached 21.8 percent in the same period.

Ginseng and kimchi, a spicy traditional side dish made from fermented vegetables, were among the leading export products along with mushrooms and squid, the ministry said.