Anchor: As fears of a trade war between the U.S. and China loom, South Korean businesses are pessimistic about business conditions in the coming months. The nation’s business sentiment for June also worsened from the previous month.
Hong Suhryung has the details.
 
Report: With South Korea’s two largest export markets threatening to engage in a full-blown trade war, the nation’s business sentiment for June worsened.
 
According to the Bank of Korea on Friday, the Business Survey Index(BSI) for June for all industries stood at 80, down one point from the previous month.
 
The index fell to 77 in March and rebounded to 79 in April and 81 in May, but slipped to 80 in June.
 
The BSI measures corporate confidence. A reading below 100 means that the majority of firms have a negative outlook for the economy.
 
Meanwhile, the BSI for manufacturers reached 80, an increase of two points, while the index for non-manufacturers dropped four points to 80.
 
The index for large manufacturers increased from 81 to 83, while the BSI for small manufacturers grew by three points to 77.
 
The Korea Economic Research Institute(KERI) released a similar survey on Friday, with the business sentiment outlook plunging to the lowest level in 17 months.
 
According to the KERI, the nation's BSI outlook for July came to 90-point-seven, falling below the benchmark 100.
Hong Suhryung, KBS World Radio News.