Consumer sentiment up in April amid lifting of most pandemic restrictions

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Korea's consumer sentiment improved for the third straight month in April as the country lifted most social distancing rules as part of efforts to return to normal from the pandemic, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The composite consumer sentiment index came to 103.8 for the month, up 0.6 points from March, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.

A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists, and the April figure marked the third straight month-on-month rise.

Last week, the government lifted almost all virus restrictions, except for the mask mandate, as part of efforts to bring the country back to normal more than two years after the first case was reported here.

Daily coronavirus infections peaked at over 600,000 in mid-March but have been retreating fast ever since. On Tuesday, the country reported 80,361 new COVID-19 cases. (Yonhap)