South Korea's industrial output turned downward in May amid the continued fall in consumption and investment, statistical office data showed Friday.
The seasonally-adjusted production index in all industries, which excludes the agriculture, livestock and fishery sector, shrank 0.7 per cent in May from a month earlier after rising 1.2 per cent in the previous month, reports Xinhua.
Production among manufacturers dipped 1.1 per cent in May, turning downward from an increase of 2.7 per cent in April.
Semiconductor output added 1.8 per cent, but production in automobiles, machinery equipment and primary metal products retreated in single digits.
The ratio of inventory to shipment in the manufacturing industry gained 0.7 percentage points from a month earlier to 110.9 per cent in May.
Manufacturers recorded an average capacity ratio of 72.8 per cent in May, down 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous month.
Production in the construction industry tumbled 4.6 per cent, but output in the public administration sector climbed 2.2 per cent last month.
Output in the service industry lost 0.5 per cent in May on a monthly basis, after growing 0.7 per cent in the previous month.
The seasonally-adjusted retail sale index, which reflects private consumption, shed 0.2 per cent in May from a month earlier after sliding 0.8 per cent in the prior month.
Sales of durable and non-durable goods gained ground, but the sale of semi-durable goods such as clothing dived 2.9 per cent last month.
Facility investment plunged 4.1 per cent in May on a monthly basis, keeping a downward trend for the third straight month.
Completed construction diminished 4.6 per cent in May after going up 4.2 per cent in the previous month.
The cyclical variation factor for leading economic indicators, which gauges the outlook for future economic situations, fell 0.1 point to 100.5 in May compared to the previous month.
The reading for coincident economic indicators, which measures the current economic condition, dropped 0.6 points to 98.8 in the cited month.
