South Korea's industrial output edged down 0.7 percent in June from a month earlier due to decreased production in the service sector, government data showed Wednesday.
The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed the production in the service sector declined 1 percent in June from a month earlier, while the output of semiconductors rose 4.6 percent on-month.
From a year earlier, industrial output fell 1.1 percent.
Retail sales fell 1.6 percent in June from a month earlier due to decreased sales of passenger cars and clothing, but retail numbers gained 1.2 percent on-year last month.
Facility investment rose 0.4 percent last month from May due to increased imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and vessels.
South Korean companies imported semiconductor manufacturing equipment worth US$39.8 million in June, up from $34.2 million in May. But the June figure marked a decline from $59 million in June 2018.
Semiconductors are a key export product for South Korea, home to Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker, and its smaller rival SK hynix. (Yonhap)