Industrial output last month rose by a seasonally adjusted 2.6 percent on monthly terms, the Statistics Korea data showed, recovering most of the 3.8 percent drop in January.
The January reading was revised from a preliminary 3.7 percent fall.
The median forecast from a Reuters survey of 16 analysts had tipped February industrial output to edge up by a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent from January, with forecasts spread widely between a 2.0 percent drop and a 2.5 percent gain.
On year ago basis, however, February's industrial output dropped 4.7 percent, missing a 1.5 percent decline tipped by the Reuters survey.
Service sector output in February rose a seasonally adjusted 1.6 percent on monthly terms, more than recouping a revised 0.6 percent fall in January. The gain was the fastest seen since February 2012.