Industrial output in South Korea was up a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent on month in January, Statistics Korea said on Wednesday.
That exceeded expectations for a decline of 0.6 percent following the downwardly revised 3.7 percent gain in December (originally 4.3 percent).
On a yearly basis, industrial production gained 4.3 percent, which missed forecasts for a gain of 6.5 percent and was down from the upwardly revised 7.4 percent jump in the previous month (originally 6.2 percent).
The Index of all industry production in January fell 0.3 percent on month and increased by 4.3 percent on year. The Manufacturing Production Index rose 0.1 percent on month and 4.4 percent on year.
The Manufacturing Shipment Index added 0.4 percent on month and 1.6 percent on year. The Manufacturing Inventory Index dipped 0.1 percent on month but spiked 12.0 percent on year.
The Production Capacity Index shed 0.8 percent on month and 0.9 percent on year. The Index of Capacity Utilization Rate gained 1.0 percent on month and 3.8 percent on year.
The Manufacturing Average Capacity Utilization Rate was 78.3 percent, up 0.7 percentage points from the previous month. The Index of Services dipped 0.3 percent on month but gained 4.8 percent on year.
The Retail Sales Index in January sank 1.9 percent on month but gained 4.5 percent on year. The Equipment Investment Index gained 2.5 percent on month and 0.6 percent on year.
The Domestic Machinery Shipment Index in January jumped 2.3 percent on year. The value of Domestic Machinery Orders Received spiked 11.6 percent on year.
The value of Construction Completed at constant prices increased by 0.5 percent on month and 6.8 percent on year. The value of Construction Orders Received at current prices increased by 6.0 percent on year.
The Composite Coincident Index in January increased by 0.8 percent on month. The Cyclical Component of Composite Coincident Index, which reflects current economic situations, increased by 0.6 points from the previous month.
The Composite Leading Index in January increased by 0.2 percent on month. The Cyclical Component of Composite Leading Index, which predicts the turning point in business cycle, fell 0.1 points from the previous month.
Also on Wednesday, Statistics Korea said that the total value of retail sales in South Korea was down a seasonally adjusted 1.9 percent on month in January. That missed expectations for a gain of 0.5 percent following the 2.0 percent increase in December.
On a yearly basis, retail sales advanced 4.5 percent - again shy of forecasts for an increase of 5 percent and slowing from 6.5 percent in the previous month.
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