통계청은 29일 4월 산업생산이 전월 대비 0.6% 감소했다고 밝혔다. 소매판매와 설비투자도 각각 3.6% 줄었다.
광공업 생산은 자동차 업황 부진으로 0.7% 감소했다. 반도체 생산은 3.1% 늘었으나 정유업은 19.4% 급감했다.
구윤철 기획재정부 장관은 5월에는 소비·기업 심리 회복으로 산업생산이 반등할 것으로 전망했다. 2월과 3월에는 각각 2.1%, 0.4% 증가한 바 있다.
정부는 중동 긴장으로 인한 고유가 부담 완화와 경기 활성화를 위한 대책을 논의했다.
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South Korea's industrial output, retail sales and facility investment all rose from a month earlier in March, official data showed on April 30. It marked the first time since September that all three indicators posted on-month growth. A ministry official said the Middle East crisis has not yet impacted the economy.
South Korea's industrial output rose 2.5% in February from the previous month, the fastest growth in five years and eight months. Government data showed retail sales unchanged while facility investment jumped 13.5%. The Middle East crisis has had minimal impact so far.
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South Korea's business sentiment for May remains pessimistic due to the prolonged Middle East crisis, a Federation of Korean Industries survey showed Thursday. The business survey index for the top 600 companies by sales stood at 87.5, below the 100 benchmark where pessimists outnumber optimists. This marks two consecutive months below the line.
South Korea's exports surged 49.4 percent year-on-year to $50.4 billion in the first 20 days of April, driven by robust semiconductor demand, Korea Customs Service data showed Tuesday. Imports rose 17.7 percent to $39.9 billion, yielding a $10.4 billion trade surplus.
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South Korea's real GDP jumped 1.7 percent in Q1 2026 from the prior quarter—the strongest growth in 5½ years—despite Middle East tensions, easily topping the Bank of Korea's 0.9 percent forecast on robust exports and steady domestic demand. Part of the rebound following 2025's modest 1% annual expansion (see prior article in series).
South Korean shares opened sharply lower on March 19 amid attacks on Middle East energy facilities during the US- and Israel-led war against Iran. The US Federal Reserve's decision to keep rates unchanged further dampened sentiment. The KOSPI fell 2.16% in the first 15 minutes.
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Official data showed China's value-added industrial output rose 5.6 percent year on year in the first four months of 2026. Growth in April reached 4.1 percent from a year earlier.