(2nd LD) Industrial output posts fastest growth in 5 yrs, 8 months in Feb.

## Summary
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS more info in paras 7-9) SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's industrial output posted its fastest growth in five years and eight months in February, mainly driven by gains in semiconductor production, government data showed Tuesday. Industrial production rose 2.5 percent from a month earlier last month, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Chip output increased by the most since January 1988, when production rose 36.8 percent on-month. Output in the electronics and telecommunications sector also jumped 20.9 percent, the steepest on-month increase since January 2009, when it rose 24.7 percent.

## Article Content
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS more info in paras 7-9)

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's industrial output posted its fastest growth in five years and eight months in February, mainly driven by gains in semiconductor production, government data showed Tuesday.

Industrial production rose 2.5 percent from a month earlier last month, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the fastest increase since June 2020, when output jumped 2.9 percent on-month.

The ministry noted that the impact of the Middle East crisis that erupted in late February had not yet taken a toll on the economy.

"The effects of the Middle East crisis that broke out on Feb. 28 may appear as some signals in February's data, but the full impact is expected to be seen starting in March," said Lee Doo-won, a ministry official.

Output in the mining and manufacturing sector, a key pillar of the economy, advanced 5.4 percent on-month in February, the ministry said. This also marked the steepest gain since June 2020, when the figure rose 6.6 percent.

Notably, semiconductor production surged 28.2 percent from a month earlier, as global demand continued to grow amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Chip output increased by the most since January 1988, when production rose 36.8 percent on-month.

The semiconductor production index also reached a record high of 215.4, surpassing the previous record of 211.6 set in September last year.

Output in the electronics and telecommunications sector also jumped 20.9 percent, the steepest on-month increase since January 2009, when it rose 24.7 percent.

Retail sales, a key indicator of private spending, remained unchanged from the previous month.

Sales of semidurable goods, such as clothing, fell 5.4 percent, while durable goods, including home appliances, declined 1.5 percent. In contrast, sales of nondurable goods, such as food and beverages, rose 2.6 percent.

Facility investment jumped 13.5 percent on-month, led by increased investment in machinery and transportation equipment.



Containers are stacked at a port in South Korea's southeastern city of Busan, in this file photo from Feb. 22, 2026. (Yonhap)

khj@yna.co.kr

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
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### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- (ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS more info in paras 7-9) SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's industrial output posted its fastest growth in five years and eight months in February, mainly driven by gains in semiconductor production, government data showed Tuesday.
- The ministry noted that the impact of the Middle East crisis that erupted in late February had not yet taken a toll on the economy. "The effects of the Middle East crisis that broke out on Feb. 28 may appear as some signals in February's data, but the full impact is expected to be seen starting in March," said Lee Doo-won, a ministry official.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers percent, month, output topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 346.