South Korea’s business sentiment improved for the second consecutive month in April. 

According to the Bank of Korea on Thursday, the Business Survey Index(BSI) for all industries stood at 87-point-nine in April, up one-point-two points from the previous month. 

It marked the second consecutive monthly increase, though the index remained below 90 for five straight months and has yet to recover to the levels seen before the December 3 martial law incident. 

A reading below 100 indicates that pessimists outnumber optimists.

The BSI for manufacturers rose one-point-two points on-month to 93-point-one in April.

The index for nonmanufacturing industries, which includes restaurants, wholesalers and retail businesses, gained one-point-six points and posted 84-point-five.

The BSI for May rose by zero-point-seven point from the previous month.