South Korea's business sentiment fell to the lowest level in six months in August amid continued uncertainties over the economy and monetary tightening here and abroad, a central bank poll showed Wednesday.

Manufacturers' business sentiment index for August came to 67, down from 72 tallied for the previous month, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea.

The index marks the lowest since February this year, when the comparable reading was 63.

The index measures corporate prospects for business conditions the following month. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

The worsened outlook appears to come on uncertainties over economic conditions and monetary policies here and in major economies.

In particular, a delayed recovery in the semiconductor sector, coupled with a slowdown in the Chinese economy, appeared to have affected business sentiment.

The BSI for September stood at 73, unchanged from the previous month, according to the poll. (Yonhap)