SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Industrial production and corporate investment in South Korea showed signs of slowing down in recent months, a state-run economic think tank said Tuesday.
The state-run Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in its monthly report on economic conditions that production and investment slowed down while private consumption showed a relatively better picture.
It was attributed to the slumps both in the services industry and the mining and manufacturing sectors.
Output in the mining and manufacturing sectors declined 6 percent in December from a month earlier, after falling 1.7 percent in the previous month.
Production in the services industry gained 2.2 percent in December after growing 4.1 percent in the prior month.
Production in all industries shed 0.7 percent in December, after rising 1.8 percent in November, due to the slumps in the services and manufacturing sectors.
Facility investment in December gained 2.4 percent compared with the previous month, falling from a 6.6-percent expansion in November due to weak activity in the transport industry.
Retail sales, which reflect private consumption, grew 2.2 percent in December. Consumer confidence weakened in the first month of 2018, but it managed to stay above 100, indicating optimists outnumbered pessimists.
Exports, which account for about half of the economy, jumped 22.2 percent in January from a year earlier thanks to the higher number of business days in the month.
The daily average exports grew 8.1 percent in January, down from a 17.6-percent expansion in December.
