SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's industrial output in December grew at its fastest pace in more than five years over the previous month, data showed on Friday, providing some relief to those concerned about Asia's fourth-largest economy cooling quickly.
Output rose by a seasonally adjusted 3.0 percent in December on monthly terms, following a revised 1.0 percent rise in November, Statistics Korea data showed. The reading for November was revised down from a preliminary 1.3 percent rise.
December's output growth was the highest since a 3.7 percent gain in September 2009 and faster than a median 1.0 percent rise tipped in a Reuters survey of 13 analysts, with forecasts ranging from gains of 0.2 percent to 2.4 percent.
On an annual basis, industrial output rose 0.4 percent in December after a revised 3.6 percent fall in November. The Reuters poll tipped output to have slipped by 1.0 percent in annual terms last month.
Statistics Korea data also showed that service-sector output showed no growth in December from a month earlier, following a revised 0.3 percent fall in November.