SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Industrial output in South Korea rebounded last month amid rising worry about the economic slowdown, a government report showed Friday.
Production in all industries grew 0.5 percent in July from a month earlier, after falling 0.7 percent in June, according to Statistics Korea.
Output in the mining and manufacturing sectors rose 0.4 percent in the month on demand for chemical products and transport equipment that offset soft demand for automobiles.
Manufacturers logged an average capacity ratio of 74.3 percent in July, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous month.
Industrial production increased on brisk exports, but companies refrained from spending capital on new facilities.
Facility investment declined 0.6 percent in July from a month ago, keeping a downward momentum for five straight months. It marked the longest downward trend in almost 20 years.
The cyclical factor of leading indicators, which reflect future economic conditions, dipped 0.2 points in July from a month earlier, dimming the economic outlook. The figure for coincident indicators kept sliding for four months in a row.
