Semiconductor production surged 33.1 percent between 2022 and 2025, while manufacturing output excluding semiconductors slipped 0.4 percent over the same period. The divergence shows how heavily Korea's recent factory growth has relied on the chip industry.
The picture is beginning to change. Non-chip manufacturing output rose 3.3 percent in the third quarter and jumped 7.5 percent from the previous month in September, although it remained 0.5 percent lower than a year earlier. The latest data point to a broader recovery, but one that remains uneven.
For more on how Korea's manufacturing recovery is spreading beyond chips, read our full report.
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