2021-04-15 03:36:15 GMT2021-04-15 11:36:15(Beijing Time) Xinhua English SEOUL, April 15 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export logged the biggest first-quarter figure as the COVID-19 pandemic raised demand for tech products, medical supplies and automobiles, customs office data showed Thursday. Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, reached 146.5 billion U.S. dollars in the January-March quarter, up 12.5 percent from the same quarter of last year, according to Korea Customs Service. It was higher than any first-quarter reading as the pandemic changed the way of people's lives across the world. The pandemic encouraged people to work from home and attend online classes, boosting demand for computers, mobile phones and semiconductors.