A majority of South Korea's largest companies remain pessimistic about their business outlooks for June on worries about weak exports and other unfavorable market conditions at home and abroad, a poll showed Thursday.

According to the survey by the Federation of Korean Industries of the country's top 600 companies by sales, the business survey index for June stood at 96.4, down from the May outlook of 99.4.

This marks the lowest BSI in three months. A BSI reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

The FKI attributed the worsening sentiment to a set of negative factors including sluggish exports, delayed recoveries in major economies and the weak euro and the yen, which could hurt overseas sales of South Korean products.

The survey showed that the subindex for domestic demand stood at 98.8, while those for exports, investment, employment and profitability remained below par at 99, 98.6, 98.4 and 99.6, respectively.

An FKI official said the government should lose no time in coming up with measures to kick-start South Korea's slumping exports.

In the first four months of this year, South Korea's exports shrank 4.3 percent on-year to $179.71 billion, according to government data. (Yonhap)