Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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7월 소비 2.4% 감소… 설비투자 7.5% 증가•5개월만 최대폭↑

Consumer spending fell sharply in July while facility investment rose pointing to a mixed picture for the Korean economy BUT authorities remain optimistic.
Lee Ju-yeon reports.

After June's 'triple rise' across the production, consumption, and investment sectors, industrial output stalled, and consumption fell in July.
According to the July Industrial Activity Trends report released on Monday, the all-industry production index stood at 120-point-2 in July, unchanged from the previous month.

After contracting for two consecutive months in April and May, total industrial production turned upward with a 2-point-4 percent gain in June, but then flattened out in July.

Total industrial output saw drops in services and construction, but rose in mining and manufacturing, which saw a slight gain of zero-point-2 percent compared to the previous month.

Meanwhile, the retail sales index, which measures goods consumption, fell 2-point-4 percent month-on-month.
Sales dropped across major categories, from passenger cars to clothing and cosmetics.
An official attributed the decline to a mix of factors, including persistently high inflation and summer heatwaves, along with a base effect from June.

"Probably the biggest factor is the base effect from June, when sales of durable goods, especially cars, home appliances, and telecommunications equipment, increased Clothing sales fell 3.2%, largely due to July’s unseasonable heat. Normally, July sees a boost in sales as autumn clothing is shipped for the new season, but the heat likely delayed the release of fall collections."


Meanwhile, facility investment surged 7-point-5 percent month-on-month, marking a second straight month of growth following June's rise, and the largest increase since February.

Officials attributed the gain to a 4-point-2 percent gain in machinery including semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and a 15-point-4 percent jump in transport equipment such as ships and aircraft.

While industrial output flattened and consumption shrank in July, the government emphasized that economic recovery momentum remains intact, pointing to steady trends in production and investment.

The government added that it will strengthen support to ease the public burden, as challenges remain from inflation due to Middle East tensions and falling youth employment.

Lee Ju-yeon, Arirang News.

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2026-08-31, 17:00 (KST)