REFILE-S.Korea Oct exports to China biggest gain in 13 mths

(Refiles to remove embargo note)

SEOUL, Nov 15 (Reuters) - South Korea's exports to China in October posted their biggest annual gain in 13 months, customs agency data showed on Sunday, adding to hopes for a global economic recovery.

Exports to China, South Korea's largest overseas market, rose 9.5 percent in October from a year earlier, the biggest gain since a 15.0 percent annual growth in September 2008, the Korea Customs Service data showed.

That compared with a 3.5 percent increase in September.

The data was issued after Chinese economic indicators showed the country's factory output growth surged to a 19-month high in October, showing the world's third-largest economy has firmly put the worst of the global financial crisis behind it. [ID:nPEK212006]

South Korea's revised October export and import data based on customs clearance (not seasonally adjusted, still subject to further minor revisions):

revised *provisional Exports ($ billion) 33.96 34.03

(pct growth vs prev yr) -8.5 -8.3 Imports ($ billion) 30.33 30.23

(pct growth vs prev yr) -16.0 -16.3 Balance ($ billion) +3.63 +3.79 * provisional data was released by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy on Nov. 1. SOURCE: Korea Customs Service (Reporting by Cheon Jong-woo; Editing by Ron Popeski)