SEOUL (WAM)
The Republic of Korea's industrial output fell 0.4% in November from the previous month, marking a third straight month of decline, as automobile production slumped despite strong gains in the semiconductor sector, government data showed on Monday.
The drop was driven by a 5.4% monthly fall in automobile production, largely due to labour strikes, according to Statistics Korea data cited by Yonhap News Agency.
In contrast, the semiconductor sector posted a 3.9 percent on-month increase, fuelled by strong overseas demand.
In on-year terms, overall industrial output declined 0.3 percent in November.
Retail sales, a key indicator of private spending, grew 0.4 percent from the previous month, rebounding after two consecutive months of decline.