The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry downgraded its assessment of the nation's industrial activity Monday for the first time since September 1998, despite modest growth seen in the October-December quarter.
The downgrade came in its preliminary report on industrial activity, in which quarterly industrial output for the three-month period showed a growth of 0.3 percent from the previous quarter.
The quarterly growth in industrial activity marked an increase for six consecutive quarters, according to the ministry's preliminary report.