SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's industrial output fell for the second consecutive month due to the sluggish construction sector, statistical office data showed Friday.

The seasonally-adjusted production index in all industries, which exclude the agriculture, livestock and fishery sector, decreased 0.3 percent in October from a month earlier after retreating 0.3 percent in the previous month, according to Statistics Korea.

Production among manufacturers gained 0.4 percent in October on a monthly basis, but output in the construction industry tumbled 4.0 percent last month, keeping a downward trend for the sixth straight month.

Semiconductor output climbed 8.4 percent, but those for cars and machinery equipment declined in single digits.

The ratio of inventory to shipment in the manufacturing industry advanced 5.9 percentage points over the month to 112.7 percent in October.

Manufacturers posted an average capacity ratio of 72.5 percent in October, down 0.9 percentage points compared to the previous month.

Output in the service industry added 0.3 percent in October from a month earlier, turning around from a reduction of 0.8 percent in the previous month.

Output in the public administration sector dropped 3.8 percent in October after growing 2.8 percent in September.

The seasonally-adjusted retail sale index, which reflects private consumption, dwindled 0.4 percent in October from a month earlier, continuing to fall for the second successive month.

Facility investment plunged 5.8 percent in October, turning downward from a growth of 10.1 percent in the previous month.

The cyclical variation factor for leading economic indicators, which gauges the outlook for future economic situations, slipped 0.1 points to 100.6 in October compared to the previous month.

The reading for coincident economic indicators, which measures the current economic condition, stood unchanged at 98.1 in the cited month. Enditem

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