South Korea Q3 GDP expands 0.1% as consumption edges up

SEOUL — South Korea's economy grew slightly in the third quarter on modest increases in government and private consumption, returning to positive growth after contraction in the previous three months, central bank data showed on Thursday.

Gross domestic product in Asia's fourth-largest economy expanded 0.1% in the July-September quarter from the previous quarter, according to a preliminary estimate by the Bank of Korea. The performance missed the forecast of 0.5% quarterly growth among 23 economists polled by Reuters.