SEOUL South Korea's factory output unexpectedly jumped in August by the fastest rate in more than three years, official data showed on Wednesday.

The industrial output index rose 5.5% in August from the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 2.0% fall in July, according to Statistics Korea.

That contrasts with a median 0.2% fall forecast in a Reuters survey and marks the fastest monthly gain since June 2020.

On an annual basis, output was 0.5% lower, much milder than the previous month's 8.1% drop and a forecast for a 6.2% loss.

(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Tom Hogue)