Home > Business > Industry

Biz outlook for manufacturing sector remains pessimistic in Q2: Survey

Published: 17 Apr. 2026, 13:23

Kia vehicles bound for export are parked at the Pyeongtaek port in Gyeonggi on April 3. [NEWS1]

Korea's manufacturing sector is expected to remain sluggish in the second quarter, a survey showed Friday.

The business survey index (BSI) of the country's top 1,500 manufacturing companies by sales for the April to June period remained unchanged from the previous quarter at 93, according to the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET).

A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists, while a figure above the benchmark means the opposite.

The BSI for exports, facility investment, employment and financial condition all came below 100, at 92, 98, 98 and 88, respectively.

By sector, semiconductors and shipbuilding were the only sectors whose BSI surpassed 100 points.

The figure for the display sector fell 11 points from three months earlier to 86, while the BSI for the chemicals sector dropped 7 points to 91.

The reading for the oil refining industry was the lowest among all sectors in the survey, at 78, down 9 points from the previous quarter.

In a separate survey by the KIET, more than half of respondents cited external uncertainties as the biggest factor affecting their business, the institute said.

When asked what they thought was the biggest challenge stemming from the war in the Middle East, seven out of 10 respondents cited rising materials costs, it added.

Yonhap