Cargo handling at South Korean ports shot up in February to a level not seen since before the global economic downturn, Yonhap News reported. 

       Cargo handling through ports nationwide soared 9.5 percent from a year ealier to 86.24 million tonnes in February, nearly matching the level of cargo traffic in February 2008, before the economic crisis.

       The volume of cargo passing through the ports of Pyeongtaek and Busan jumped 53.1 percent and 29.5 percent, respectively, due to increased shipments of vehicles and steel products.