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Industrial output declines by 1.3 percent in January

Published: 04 Mar. 2026, 10:06

People gather next to a damaged building around Ferdowsi Square after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran on March 3. [EPA/YONHAP]

Korea's industrial output dipped from a month earlier in January amid a slowdown in manufacturing production, particularly semiconductors, while private consumption and facility investment went up, government data showed Wednesday.

Industrial production dropped 1.3 percent on month in January, marking the first decline in three months, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Output from the mining and manufacturing sectors, considered the backbone of the economy, contracted 1.9 percent.

In detail, production of semiconductors and transportation equipment, such as oil tankers and container vessels, decreased 4.4 percent and 17.8 percent on month, respectively.

Retail sales remained unchanged, but private consumption rose 2.3 percent over the cited period, led by increased demand for clothing, communication devices and cosmetics.

Facility investment added 6.8 percent, rising for the first time in four months, thanks to increased investment in machinery and transportation equipment.

Notably, investment in semiconductor manufacturing machines surged 41.1 percent, and those for automobiles jumped 16 percent.

Yonhap