South Korean manufacturers' business sentiment fell for June, marking the first on-month decline since January, as chip shortages cost automakers, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The business sentiment index (BSI) for local manufacturers came to 97 for June down from 98 for May, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The index measures manufacturers' outlook on business conditions in the following month. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp. have suspended some of their assembly lines for several days due to semiconductor shortages.

A modest recovery in exports and investment has helped put South Korea's economy on a growth track.

South Korea's exports jumped 53.3 percent on-year in the first 20 days of May as shipments of chips and oil products remained solid.

The country's outbound shipments stood at $31.1 billion in the May 1-20 period, compared with $20 billion a year earlier, according to the government data.

The BSI for conglomerates came to 110 for June, up from 108 for May, while that of smaller companies reached 81, down from 87.

Meanwhile, the BSI of non-manufacturing businesses came to 81 for June, down from 82 for this month, the BOK said. (Yonhap)