Output of the food segment climbed 6.0% y.o.y. but output of the computer, electronic and optical equipment segment fell 14.5%.

Output growth accelerated from 3.8% in November, albeit from a low base. In December 2012, output fell 7.3%.

Domestic sales fell 2.0% y.o.y. but export sales were up 12.9%.

Adjusted for the number of workdays, output was up 4.4% for 2013.

In a month-on-month comparison, seasonally- and workday-adjusted output fell 1.9%.

For the full year, industrial output was up 1.4% y.o.y. Domestic sales fell 1.8% but export sales increased 4.9%.

Output of the automotive segment rose 19.1% while output of the computer, electronics and optical segment was down 12.3%. Food segment output slipped 0.8%, pharmaceutical companies turned out 8.0% less and energy output dropped 7.7%. Output of the chemicals segment was up 6.4%.

KSH reported that new order stock in the manufacturing sector was up a sharp 84.9% in December from the same month a year earlier. New export orders climbed 93.4% on the back of a single big order, while domestic orders increased 24.2%. Total order stock was up 12.8% from a year earlier.