SEOUL, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Industrial production in South Korea fell in three months on shortage of facility investment that kept a downward trend for four months in a row, a government report showed Tuesday.
Output in all industries dipped 0.7 percent in June from a month earlier, after growing 1.4 percent in April and 0.2 percent in May, respectively, according to Statistics Korea.
The reduction was mainly attributed to the softness of facility investment, which tumbled 5.9 percent in June from a month ago.
The capital spending by companies kept falling for the fourth consecutive month. It marked the first time in about 18 years that the facility investment maintained a four-month slump.
Production in the mining and manufacturing industries, which lead the industrial output, shrank 0.6 percent. Output among manufacturers declined 0.8 percent on lackluster activity in the automobile and chemical sectors.
Manufacturers recorded an average capacity ratio of 73.5 percent in June, down 0.5 percentage points from a month earlier.
Production in the services industry gained 0.2 percent in June from the previous month. Retail sales, which reflect private consumption, grew 0.6 percent in the month.
