Statistics Korea on Friday said domestic industrial output saw a higher drop last month than in March, with electricity, gas, mining and manufacturing falling 1.2 percent.
April saw a second straight month of falling output and its rate was higher than the 0.3-percent reduction in March.
The agency blamed sluggish exports for the lackluster performance, as a fewer number of vessels were launched at domestic shipyards as well as a lower number of large sea structures were produced.
Industrial production also fell 2.7 percent, while all sectors saw a contraction of 0.3 percent from the previous month but were up 0.7 percent from a year earlier.
Among gainers, cars saw output rise 2.8 percent, with those of telecom and broadcast devices up 9 percent. Production in the service sector last month inched up 0.5 percent from March and 4.1 percent higher from last year.
The wholesale and retail sectors saw a 1.4-percent rise in output.
Business investment declined 0.8 percent last month from March due to fewer purchases of general machinery, but was up 2.8 percent year-on-year.
By Oh Hae-young