SEOUL, May 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's industrial output turned downward in April owing to the negative effect of the U.S. tariffs imposition, statistical office data showed Friday.
The seasonally-adjusted production index in all industries, which excludes the agriculture, livestock and fishery sector, fell 0.8 percent in April from a month earlier after rising 0.7 percent in February and 0.9 percent in March, according to Statistics Korea.
Output among manufacturers dwindled 0.9 percent last month after growing 3.1 percent in the previous month on the back of the U.S. protectionist moves that reduced demand for locally-made products.
Automotive production declined 4.2 percent, with those for semiconductors and electronic parts sliding 2.9 percent and 6.0 percent each.
The Asian country's export to the United States decreased 6.8 percent in April from a year earlier to a double-digit decline in automotive shipment.
Manufacturers posted an average capacity ratio of 73.8 percent in April, down 0.7 percentage points compared with the previous month.
Production in the construction industry slipped 0.7 percent in April after diminishing 5.0 percent in March.
Output in the service industry shrank 0.1 percent, while production in the public administration sector tumbled 6.3 percent.
The retail sale index, which reflects private consumption, dipped 0.9 percent in April on a monthly basis after going down 1.0 percent in the previous month.
Facility investment fell 0.4 percent in April, keeping a downward trend for the second straight month.
The cyclical variation factor for leading economic indicators, which gauges the outlook for future economic situations, added 0.3 points to 100.9 in April compared to the previous month.
The reading for coincident economic indicators, which measures the current economic condition, gained 0.2 points to 98.9 in the cited month. ■