Automakers leading torrid industrial expansion in South Korea

South Korean industrial production rose a blistering 5 percent in the month of November alone, driven by record export orders for cars and semiconductors. Production by automakers increased 19 percent from October.
Neighboring countries are also booming. Japan's industrial production set an all-time record in November, while Chinese production rose 16.6 percent in the same month.

While South Korea's numbers were partly driven by a domestic sales boom sparked by a temporary rollback in sales tax, its exports rose 12 percent to a record $25.9 billion in November.