South Korea's consumer sentiment fell for the first time in three months in December due to toughened quarantine measures amid the third wave of COVID-19. 

According to the Bank of Korea on Tuesday, the composite consumer sentiment index(CCSI) came in at 89-point-eight for December, down eight-point-one points from the previous month. 

The reading marks the first on-month drop following two consecutive months of increase.

 A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

Meanwhile, a subindex measuring people's future outlook on housing prices, which is not factored into the consumer sentiment index, rose two points on-month to a fresh record high of 132 in December.