(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Seoul April 27 - The amount of electricity used by South Korea's industrial sector rose more than 5 percent from a year earlier in March reflecting strong growth in exports South Korea's News (Yonhap) reported Sunday.

In March the industrial sector consumed 23.28 billion kilowatt-hours up 5.6 percent from the same month last year according to the S. Korea's Ministry of Trade Industry and Energy.

"The rise in overall electricity use despite a drop in electricity consumption for heating can be attributed to the country's growing exports" it said in a press release.

An earlier ministry report showed the country's total exports rose 5.2 percent on-year to some US$49.76 billion in March. Industrial electricity sales serve as a barometer of industrial activity as companies use more electricity when business is good and cut back when demand is low.

The overall sales of electricity gained 2.8 percent on-year to some 40.6 billion kilowatt-hours last month as electricity used by households inched up just 0.4 percent. Electricity consumption by the education sector dropped 4.1 percent.