SEOUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Following are South Korea"s preliminary export and import figures for December, released by the government on Friday (rounded): Dec *Nov Balance ($ billion) +6.94 +5.90 Exports ($ billion) 51.41 45.84 (% growth vs yr ago) +12.6 +4.1 Imports ($ billion) 44.46 39.94 (% growth vs yr ago) +1.8 -1.9 Avg exports per working day +7.9 +6.4 (% growth vs yr ago) * Revised on Dec. 15 NOTES: - December exports expanded 12.6% from a year earlier, sharpest growth in 26 months and much sharper than 4.1% growth in November, trade ministry data showed on Friday. - For the whole of 2020, exports slid 5.4%, while imports dropped 7.2%, data showed. - Reuters poll: Exports in December were expected to have risen 5.6% from a year earlier, according to a median estimate of 12 economists. - There were 24 working days in December, a day more than the comparable month of 2019. (Reporting by Joori Roh Editing by Chris Reese)