Smaller firms in S. Korea see year-high operating rate in Sept.

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- The factory operating rate at South Korea's smaller
firms hit a yearly high in September, the latest indication that the economy is
set on a recovery track, a business organization said Thursday.

The factory utilization rate at 1,419 small- and medium-sized companies stood at
71.1 percent in September, up 2 percentage points from the previous month,
according to the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business.
The rate fell to as low as 62.6 percent in January this year as the global
economic slump, sparked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, reduced demand at
home and abroad.
"Operating rates in the auto and electronic sectors showed a sharp rise," the
federation said.
The South Korean economy, Asia's fourth-largest, grew 2.9 percent on-quarter in
the third quarter, the fastest pace in more than seven years, on improving
domestic demand and robust exports.
sam@yna.co.kr
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