South Korea's finance ministry has released its monthly assessment of local economic conditions.<br />Its report for January says consumption figures look solid, but concerns over domestic and external uncertainties remain. <br />Ko Roonhee reports. <br /> <br />South Korea's exports and consumption remain solid,... but uncertainties over the ongoing U.S.-China trade war and the semiconductor sector persist. <br />This is according to South Korea's finance ministry's monthly greenbook report released on Friday. <br />From December 2017 to September 2018, the ministry had said the local economy was on a 'recovery' path. <br />However, it has not used that term for four straight months now.<br /><br />The latest report specifically pinpointed uncertainties in the semiconductor sector.<br />Separate data released by the Korea Customs Service show semiconductor exports dropped almost 30-percent during the first ten days of January...compared to the same period last year.<br />Analysts point to falling semiconductor prices. <br />There's also lower demand, because many data centers around the world have been postponing their purchases of semiconductors. <br />These centers refer to centralized locations where computing and networking equipment is concentrated for storing or processing large amounts of data. <br /><br />The report showed exports went down one-point-two percent in December on-year... because shipments of home appliances dropped.<br />Facilities investment tumbled by more than five percent in November compared to the previous month,... due to a decrease in machineries investment. <br />Overall industrial production also decreased by zero-point-seven percent during the same period...mainly in the manufacturing sector.<br />On a brighter note, retail sales increased half-a-percent in November. <br />The ministry said it will monitor domestic and external risks... and push forward with policies related to innovative growth to further vitalize the local economy. <br />Ko Roon-hee, Arirang News. <br />
