South Korea's business sentiment worsened in June for the first time in three months, driven by sluggish construction and travel sectors, a central bank survey showed Thursday.
The Composite Business Sentiment Index for all industries stood at 97.7 in June, down 1.2 points from a 3 1/2-year high of 98.9 in May, according to the Bank of Korea.
The manufacturing index rose 0.4 points to 101.2, marking the highest level since August 2022 and surpassing 100 for the second straight month.
The nonmanufacturing index fell 2.1 points to 95.4, weighed down by construction and travel firms. The July outlook dropped 2.4 points to 95.2.
The economic sentiment index declined 0.7 points to 96.8. The survey covered 3,184 companies.