South Korea Industrial Production Mom

South Korea’s industrial production rose 0.5% year-on-year in 2025, marking the slowest pace of growth in five years, as gains were largely supported by strong semiconductor demand. In December, industrial output increased 1.7% month-on-month, the strongest rise in four months and well above market expectations of a 0.5% increase. The monthly rebound was driven by a pickup in semiconductor production amid inventory restocking and firmer external demand, while output in the automobile and machinery sectors stabilized following earlier disruptions. On a year-on-year basis, industrial output fell 0.3% in December, improving from a 1.4% decline in November and coming in better than forecasts for a 2.1% drop.