Korea's exports have grown fastest among the 10 largest exporting countries in the first four months of this year, according to figures released by the World Trade Organization last Friday.

Korea recorded export growth of 27.9 percent year-on-year, the highest rate among the 10, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said on Tuesday.

Overall, Korea ranked ninth, with total trade volume of US$347.3 billion -- exports of $179.6 billion and imports of $167.7 billion.

Exporters of raw materials generally did well in terms of trading rankings due to rising prices. Russia also ranked ninth and joined the top 10 export powerhouses, outperforming Belgium and the U.K.

Brazil, India, and Australia also recorded high trade growth of about 30 percent. Japan posted single-digit growth due to the fallout of the massive earthquake and tsunami in March.