Business sentiment saw a slight improvement for August for the first time in four months in the aftermath of suspended social distancing and a recovery in consumer sentiment.

According to the Bank of Korea(BOK) on Wednesday, August's business sentiment index(BSI) stood at 81, up one point from the previous month.

The BSI, which fell two straight months after posting 86 in April and again in May, finally saw an uptick after four months.

The index measures companies' assessment of business conditions and a reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

The central bank assessed that sentiment improved in the non-manufacturing sector due to consumer sentiment recovery, despite the ongoing omicron transmission and inflation.

The index for the manufacturing sector remained at 80, while that of the non-manufacturing side rose two points on-month to 82.