S. Korea's industrial output shrinks 1.2 pct in June

SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's industrial output fell in June but the
pace of reduction decelerated sharply, raising hopes that the economy might be
recovering from a steep contraction, a government report showed Friday.

According to the report by the National Statistical Office (NSO), production in
the mining and manufacturing sectors fell 1.2 percent last month from a year
earlier, compared with a 9 percent on-year contraction in May.
The June figure is much better than a median estimate of a 3.9 percent decline in
a poll conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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