[Economy 365]

The business outlook of major South Korean conglomerates has turned positive for the first time in six months, driven by easing exchange rate pressures and expectations for a Chuseok holiday boom.

According to a survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) of the top 600 companies by sales, the Business Survey Index (BSI) outlook for September stood at 102.

The manufacturing outlook was recorded at 101.7 and the non-manufacturing outlook at 102.4. It marks the first time in four years and eleven months that both sectors simultaneously posted positive outlooks.

The domestic demand outlook also reached 100.3, recovering the baseline for the first time since June 2022.

*This article was produced with AI audio.