SEOUL, April 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's industrial output grew for the second consecutive month in March due to surging semiconductor production, statistical office data showed Wednesday.

The seasonally-adjusted production index in all industries, which excludes the agriculture, livestock and fishery sector, rose 0.9 percent in March from a month earlier after swelling 1.0 percent in February, according to Statistics Korea.

Output among manufacturers gained 3.2 percent last month, higher than an increase of 1.2 percent in the previous month.

Chip production jumped 13.3 percent on a monthly basis, marking the highest in 19 months since August 2023.

Manufacturers posted an average capacity ratio of 74.9 percent in March, up 1.7 percentage points compared with the previous month.

Production in the construction industry retreated 2.7 percent in March, turning downward from an expansion of 2.4 percent in February.

Output in the public administration sector advanced 4.5 percent, but production in the service industry reduced 0.3 percent last month amid the sluggish domestic demand.

The retail sale index, which reflects private consumption, diminished 0.3 percent in March on a monthly basis.

Facility investment shrank 0.9 percent in March after soaring 21.3 percent in the previous month.

The cyclical variation factor for leading economic indicators, which gauges the outlook for future economic situations, added 0.2 points to 100.6 in March compared to the previous month.

The reading for coincident economic indicators, which measures the current economic condition, rose 0.3 points to 98.8 in the cited month.