S. Korea's industrial output shrinks 8.2 pct in April

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's industrial output continued to decline in
April but the downturn seems to be easing, raising hopes the worst for the
nation's economy might be nearing an end, a government report showed Friday.

According to the report by the National Statistical Office (NSO), production in
the mining and manufacturing sectors shrank 8.2 percent last month from a year
earlier, compared with a 10.5 percent on-year decline in March.
The April data marked the first time that output has decreased by a single digit
after contracting 10 percent or higher over the previous five months. The figure
is roughly in line with a median estimate of an 8.4 percent fall in a poll
conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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