Auto production in S.Korea tumbles in September on labor strikes
Xinhua, October 7, 2016 Adjust font size:
Automobile production in South Korea posted a double-digit decline last month as workers in some of automakers went on partial strikes, a government report showed on Friday.
Car production recorded 258,026 units in September, down 22.7 percent from the same month of last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).
The ministry estimated that production in about 79,000 vehicles were delayed last month as workers in Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and GM Korea went on partial strikes for 100 hours, 44 hours and 12 hours each in September.
The delayed production reduced auto exports by 1.14 billion U.S. dollars, according to the ministry estimate.
Car production by Hyundai plunged 29.2 percent, with the figure for Kia dropping 26.1 percent last month. GM Korea's auto production declined 7.4 percent.
Auto sales in the domestic market reduced 13.8 percent from a year earlier to 128,647 units in September. Auto exports tumbled 23.7 percent to 156,680 vehicles valued at 2.42 billion dollars.
Auto parts export, however, increased 3.5 percent to 2.19 billion dollars in September, keeping a rising trend for two straight months. Endit