Korea: Industrial production drops in February
Industrial production in the mining, manufacturing, and gas and electricity sectors dipped 2.7% in February compared to the same month a year earlier, a sharper fall than the downwardly revised 0.2% decline registered in January (previously reported: +0.1% year-on-year). Meanwhile, average annual growth in industrial production ticked up to 1.2% in February, from 1.0% in January.
Output in the manufacturing sector—which accounts for most industrial production—contracted 2.5% in February, below than the flat reading recorded in January. Meanwhile, the average capacity utilization rate sagged to 71.2% in February from 73.3% in January. A month-on-month comparison adjusted for seasonality shows that industrial production sank 2.6% in February, contrasting the 0.3% increase recorded in January.