S. Korean business sentiment improves for Aug.

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korean businesses are more confident about
prospects for August than the previous month, but doubts linger over whether an
economic recovery is sustainable, a poll showed Tuesday.
The business survey index rose to 99.8 for August from 98.7 in July, the
Federation of Korean Industries said in its survey of 600 major South Korean
companies.
A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.
The slight rise was largely due to recent signs of an economic turnaround, but
pessimism has remained that the worldwide crisis may hinder South Korea's attempt
to make an early rebound, the federation said.
"Both positive and negative expectations coexist among companies, making it
necessary for us to watch the trend with more caution," it said.
Last week, the Bank of Korea said the economy grew 2.3 percent in the second
quarter from three months earlier, the fastest quarterly growth in more than five
years. But the central bank cautioned that prospects for the second half remain
uncertain.
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