Electricity used by South Korea's industrial sector rose from a year earlier last month, partly reflecting a growth in exports, the government said Tuesday.

Electricity consumed by the industrial sector amounted to 23.25 billion kilowatt-hours in December, up 4.4 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

"Use of industrial electricity rose 4.4 percent on-year on an increase in the number of working days in December and growing exports from an economic recovery in advanced countries," the ministry said in a press release.

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.

South Korea's overall exports rose 7.1 percent on-year in December, the ministry said earlier.

Despite the increase in the industrial sector, the overall sales of electricity only inched up 0.7 percent on-year to some 41.89 billion kilowatt-hours as the use by households and office buildings dropped 2 percent and 2.8 percent on-year, respectively.

The ministry attributed the drops to a rise in outdoor temperatures.

The daily average temperature in December came to 4.7 degrees Celsius, up from 3.2 C a year before, it said. (Yonhap News)