S. Korea's industrial output grows 0.7 pct in July

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's industrial output grew for the first
time in nine months in July, raising hopes the economy might be recovering from a
steep contraction, a government report showed Monday.

According to the report by the National Statistical Office (NSO), production in
the mining and manufacturing sectors expanded 0.7 percent last month from a year
earlier, compared with a 1.2 percent on-year contraction in June.
The July figure is much better than a median estimate of a 1.4 percent decline in
a poll conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.
Output also increased 2 percent from a month earlier, marking a seventh straight
month of expansion.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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