South Korea's consumer sentiment plunged in February amid the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to the Bank of Korea on Tuesday, the composite consumer sentiment index came to 96-point-nine for the month, down seven-point-three points from 104-point-two last month. 

A reading below the benchmark 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.  

The nation witnessed the same seven-point-three-point drop in June 2015 when it was hit by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak.

The drop marks the third largest fall since October 2008 during the global financial crisis when the index slipped 12-point-seven points. The second largest drop of eleven-point-one points was posted in March 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

The consumer sentiment is expected to worsen further next month as the latest survey was conducted between February 10 and 17, before the number of COVID-19 cases in the country surged.