South Korea October industrial output down 1.6pc

SEOUL: South Korea's industrial output fell 1.6 percent in October from a month earlier, hit by labour disputes and slow smartphone sales, government data showed Friday.

The fall in production in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries, compared to a rise of 0.1 percent in September, Statistics Korea said.

Output in manufacturing alone fell 1.8 percent on-month, with a drop in key export items such as semiconductors.

Production in the service sector, however, inched up 0.8 percent on-month and expanded 2.6 percent from a year earlier.