SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's economy continued to suffer a slump in export and investment amid the global economic slowdown and the continued downturn in the global chip industry, a finance ministry report said Friday.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance said in its monthly economic assessment report, called Green Book, that the slump of export and investment continued though production maintained an upward momentum.
It noted that the global economic slowdown and the global chip industry's downturn continued amid the lingering global trade dispute and the country's trade spat with Japan.
The report added that geopolitical risks emerged as drone attacks were made on Saudi Arabia's crude oil production facilities.
Production in the mining and manufacturing industries expanded 2.6 percent in July from a month ago, after rising 0.1 percent in the previous month. Output in the services sector increased 1.0 percent in the month.
Facility investment gained 2.1 percent in July from a month earlier, but retail sales and construction investment fell 0.9 percent and 2.3 percent each in the month.
Export, which takes up about half of the export-driven economy, tumbled 13.5 percent in August from a year earlier, continuing to fall for the ninth straight month.
Sentiment among consumers over economic situations declined to the lowest in 31 months last month.
Employment advanced 425,000 in August from a year earlier, while the jobless rate diminished 1.0 percentage point to 3.0 percent last month.
