SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Industrial electricity consumption in South Korea rose in the fourth quarter of last year as demand increased from the semiconductor sector, which led the country's growth in the quarter, a government report showed on Thursday.
Power consumption for industrial purpose advanced 3.5 percent in the October-December quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
Demand in the semiconductor industry surged 18.6 percent during the quarter due to the booming chip market.
Power consumption among oil refiners gained 9.3 percent amid higher oil prices, while the figure in the chemical sector climbed 4.3 percent.
Electricity consumption for household and educational uses increased 1.5 percent and 8.4 percent respectively in the cited quarter as the government reduced electric charges from December.
Power demand for the general and agricultural purposes gained 5.2 percent and 3.9 percent each in the quarter.
Overall power consumption for industrial and civilian purposes totaled 122.3 billion kilowatt-hours in the fourth quarter, up 3.6 percent from the same period of last year.
