South Korea’s industrial output increased one-point-six percent in November from a month earlier, posting growth for the first time since July.

Statistics Korea said on Thursday that it marks the largest on-month growth since logging two-percent growth in May. 

Industrial output posted zero growth for two consecutive months through August, before contracting by zero-point-nine percent in September and zero-point-four percent in October.

Production in the mining and manufacturing sectors gained three-point-four percent from October, led by a sizable increase in the output of cars and telecommunication and media equipment. Its growth is the biggest in seven years and two months since it posted three-point-seven percent in September of 2009.

The average rate of operation for the local manufacturing industry also rose by three percentage points to 73-point-five percent.

Production in the local service industry edged up zero-point-one percentage point from October.

As for what contributed to the industrial output growth, the statistics agency pointed to rising exports, the end of labor strikes at local automakers and Samsung's recovery after its global recall of the embattled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.