SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's industrial production, private consumption and facility investment all fell last month, marking the first "triple decrease" in three months amid production disruptions in the automotive sector, statistical ministry data showed Wednesday.
The seasonally-adjusted index of all industry production, which excludes the agriculture, livestock and fishery sectors, dived 1.3 percent in August from a month earlier after sliding 0.1 percent in July, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
It recorded the steepest monthly contraction since October last year as summer vacations and partial labor strikes at some carmakers caused production disruptions in the automotive sector and subsequently dragged down related consumer spending.
Production among manufacturers tumbled 5.1 percent month-on-month in August due to a sharp fall in automotive production, which logged the fastest reduction since February 2020 with a 24.8 percent plunge.
The average capacity utilization rate in the manufacturing industry dipped 4.0 percentage points to 70.8 percent in the cited month.
Output in the construction industry rebounded 1.9 percent, but production in the public administration sector sank 2.9 percent.
Production in the services industry grew 0.5 percent in August from a month ago, turning around from a reduction of 1.4 percent in July.
The retail sales index, a key gauge of consumer spending, dwindled 1.8 percent in August, logging a second straight monthly fall after a 2.6 percent drop in July.
Sales of durable goods, such as passenger cars, retreated 4.5 percent, while non-durable goods, including food and beverages, decreased 1.6 percent in sales.
Facility investment turned negative, dropping 9.5 percent in August on a monthly basis after expanding 6.2 percent in June and 8.0 percent in July amid the semiconductor boom.
Investment in machinery, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment, swelled last month, but spending on transportation equipment plummeted 32.8 percent.
Construction completion, which measures the actual value of construction work performed, rose 1.9 percent month-on-month in August, rebounding from a slide of 1.0 percent in the previous month.
The cyclical variation factor for leading economic indicators, which gauges the outlook for future economic situations, slipped 0.1 point to 104.2 in August compared to the previous month.
The reading for coincident economic indicators, which measures the current economic condition, went up 0.5 points to 101.7 last month. ■
