SEOUL, 30th December, 2025 (WAM) — The Republic of Korea’s industrial output grew from a month earlier in November, driven by robust semiconductor production, while retail sales fell at their fastest pace in 21 months, government data showed Tuesday.
Retail sales, a gauge of private spending, dropped 3.3 percent over the period, following a brief rebound the previous month, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
This marked the steepest decline since February 2024, when it dropped 3.1 percent on-month.
The downturn was largely driven by weaker sales of food and apparel, reflecting the fading impact of the extended Chuseok holiday that fell in early October.
Sales of semidurable goods, such as clothing, dropped 3.6 percent, while sales of non-durable goods, including food, declined 4.3 percent, marking the sharpest month-on-month drop since February 2024.
Cumulative retail sales rose 0.4 percent during the January-November period.
Industrial production rose 0.9 percent month-on-month in November.
Output has been volatile in recent months, slipping 0.3 percent in August, rising 1.3 percent in September and falling 2.7 percent in October.
The output of the mining and manufacturing sector, considered the backbone of the economy, gained 0.6 percent on-month in November, the ministry said.
Notably, semiconductor production jumped 7.5 percent, largely due to strong outbound shipments and a base effect from the previous month.
Economy
