Korea′s industrial ouput grows at fastest pace in almost 4 years 2월 산업생산 2.5％↑

Korea′s industrial output rose at the fastest pace in nearly four years last month. But the rise came largely from temporary factors，... so questions still linger over the health of the nation′s economic recovery. Our Hwang Ji－hye has the figures. February was bullish，... with production across all industries in Korea going up by two－and－a－half percent from the previous month. That marks a rebound from a two percent drop in January... and the biggest monthly hike since March 2011. But，... when taking a look at the underlying trend of figures，... it′s not all rosy. ″The pickup came from a low base effect in January and a rise in demand thanks to the Lunar New Year holiday that fell in February this year. It′s better to average the output growth for the first two months as the holiday sometimes falls in January.″ The finance ministry also says... that the output figure for all of January and February rose a mere zero－point－1 percent compared to the fourth quarter last year，... pointing to a still fragile recovery momentum. Given that... attention is now focused on the March figures. Will they back up a solid growth trend，... or remain sluggish making it more difficult for economic policymakers to prop up the ailing economy. ″Whether the figures for exports， investment and consumption improve in March will help determine the pace of recovery.″ The finance ministry， however， expects the trend of low oil prices... and the low key rate to benefit the economy，... gradually strengthening Korea′s recovery momentum. By sector，... output in mining and manufacturing went up two－point－six percent in February from the previous month... thanks to strong demand for automobiles and semiconductors. Service sector output rose one－point－six percent，... while retail sales spiked nearly three percent. Hwang Ji－hye， Arirang News.