South Korea's consumer sentiment dropped in July over a recent spike in COVID-19 infections, marking the first decline since December last year, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The composite consumer sentiment index (CCSI) came in at 103.2 for July, down 7.1 points from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists.

The latest reading marks the first fall since December last year, when the index stood at 91.2.

The nation's daily new infections have raised above 1,000 for about three consecutive weeks, with the highly contagious delta variant becoming a dominant strain of COVID-19.

The delta variant is behind a recent spike in the nation's COVID-19 infections in Seoul and its neighboring areas, while showing signs of spreading much faster outside the greater Seoul region.

The subindex for people's assessment of current economic conditions stood at 82 in July, down from 94 in June, while the index gauging people's sentiment toward future economic conditions reached 92 this month, down from 109 in June. (Yonhap)