SEOUL, March 31 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's industrial output rebounded last month thanks to strong semiconductor production, statistical ministry data showed Tuesday.
The seasonally-adjusted index of all industry production, which excludes the agriculture, livestock and fishery sector, mounted 2.5 percent in February from a month earlier after sliding 0.9 percent in January, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
It marked the fastest increase in over five and a half years since June 2020.
The turnaround was attributable to a surge in semiconductor production, which soared 28.2 percent in February on a monthly basis. It was the highest expansion in over 38 years since January 1988.
Production among manufacturers advanced 6.1 percent in February from a month earlier, while the service industry's output added 0.5 percent.
Production in the construction industry spiked 19.5 percent, but output in the public administration sector dwindled 4.6 percent.
The average capacity utilization rate in the manufacturing industry gained 3.6 percentage points over the month to 74.4 percent in February.
The retail sale index, which reflects private consumption, stood unchanged in February compared with the previous month.
Facility investment jumped 13.5 percent in February on a monthly basis, marking the highest in over 11 years since November 2014.
Completed construction expanded 19.5 percent in February after diminishing 7.8 percent in the prior month.
The cyclical variation factor for leading economic indicators, which gauges the outlook for future economic situations, added 0.6 points to 102.8 in February compared to the previous month.
The reading for coincident economic indicators, which measures the current economic condition, rose 0.8 points to 99.8 in the cited month. ■
