Industrial output flat in July; retail sales down, facility investment up

Korea's industrial output remained flat in July from a month earlier, data showed Monday, with retail sales losing ground, while facility investment advanced.

Industrial production remained unchanged in July from a month earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Output in the mining and manufacturing sector, a key pillar of the economy, edged up 0.2 percent on the back of the electronic component segment. The output in the automobile industry, on the other hand, fell 4.5 percent.

Retail sales, a gauge of private spending, backtracked 2.4 percent over the period, led mostly by durable goods, including cars.

Facility investment shot up 7.5 percent in July from a month earlier, the latest findings showed.