By product, output of automobiles jumped 8.7% and semiconductors rose 4.4% over the month, whereas communication devices slumped 16.9%. The finance ministry said the data showed the economy was on a recovery path after a slight correction the previous month. Factory output will rebound in the second quarter after four consecutive quarters of loss as exports bottom out, the ministry said. South Korea's heavily trade-reliant economy barely averted a recession with growth of 0.3% in the first quarter, after contracting in late 2022 for the first time in 2-1/2 years. Retail sales rose 0.4% in May, after dropping 2.6% in April - which was the worst in five months - while facility investment jumped 3.5%, the most since August.

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Persons: Kang Min Joo, Kang, Jihoon Lee, Jacqueline Wong, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Statistics, ING Economics, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Statistics Korea