The business sentiment index (BSI) stood at 83 in March, up 7 points from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The index stayed below 100, indicating pessimists outnumbering optimists, but it marked the highest in almost 10 years since July 2011.
The higher reading was attributed to the recovery in export, which continued to expand for the fourth consecutive month through February. The outbound shipment advanced 12.5 percent for the first 20 days of March on a yearly basis.
The BSI among manufacturers gained 7 points over the month to 89 in March, while the index for non-manufacturers increased 5 points to 77 in the month.
The results were based on a survey of 1,639 manufacturers and 1,160 non-manufacturers conducted on March 15-22.
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