South Korea's April factory output unexpectedly declines from March

[SEOUL] South Korea's factory output in April unexpectedly declined from March but logged the fastest expansion in almost three years on a year-on-year basis compared to 2020's pandemic-impacted figures, government data showed on Monday.

From March, industrial production fell by a seasonally adjusted 1.6 per cent, the biggest contraction since May last year and missing a gain of 1.5 per cent forecast in a Reuters survey.

However, on a yearly basis, factory output surged 12.4 per cent, the fastest growth since October 2018 as production was sluggish in the second quarter of last year because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

REUTERS

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL