 |
| ▲ This file photo, taken Nov. 7, 2021, shows the shopping district of Myeongdong in Seoul bustling with people, as South Korea began in November to implement the "living with COVID-19" scheme to gradually bring the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy. (Yonhap) |
service output-Q3 tally
Service output in all provinces, major cities up in Q3
SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) -- Service output increased in all 16 provinces and major cities in the third quarter as production in the in-person service segment improved amid the vaccine rollout and the economic recovery, data showed Monday.
The country's service output rose 3.9 percent on-year in the July-September, led by financial, insurance as well as whole and retail sectors, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
Of the 16 provinces and cities, Incheon, west of Seoul, reported the sharpest on-year gain in service output with 4.7 percent, followed by the southeastern port city of Busan with 4.4 percent.
Service output in Seoul -- home to about one-fifth of the country's 52 million population -- rose 4.3 percent on-year in the third quarter.
The country's service sector was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, as people have refrained from visiting shops to avoid infection risks.
But service output grew for the third straight quarter in the July-September period as people's economic activity increased amid the accelerating vaccine rollout and the economic outlook.
Retail sales, a gauge of private spending, increased in 15 provinces and cities, the data showed.
Seoul reported a 5.7 percent on-year gain in retail sales, and Busan saw a 5.9 percent rise, led by increased sales at department stores.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
