SEOUL, Oct 21 (Reuters) - South Korea’s exports for the first 20 days of the month soared 36.1% from a year earlier, customs agency data showed on Thursday, while imports surged 48.0%, resulting in a provisional trade deficit of $2.49 billion. Breakdown of the data showed outbound shipments of semiconductors, petroleum products and vessels jumped 23.9%, 128.7% and 93.5%, respectively. Exports to China, the United States and European Union, during the period, rose 30.9%, 37.1% and 42.1% respectively, the data showed. (Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)