S Korean Consumer Sentiment Shows Sharp Rise in April

South Korea's consumer sentiment rose sharply in April thanks to increasing signs of economic improvement, the central bank said Tuesday.

The consumer survey index, a gauge of consumers' overall economic outlook with a reading below 100 indicating pessimists outnumber optimists, increased to 98 this month from 84 of the previous month, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a report.

The April data is noted for the sharpest gain since the BOK began compiling related data in the first quarter of 2005, the BOK said.

"Improvements in major economic indicators helped boost consumers' optimism over the economy," an official of the BOK said, adding that gains in stock and other asset prices raised hopes of an economic turnaround.

The report is a result of a survey conducted to 2,200 households in 56 major local cities from April 14-21, according to the BOK.