Korea's business sentiment remains pessimistic for January amid a lingering slump in the construction and steel industries, a poll showed Monday. The business survey index (BSI) of the country's top 600 companies by sales stood at 95.4 for next month, according to a monthly poll by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI). A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists, while a figure above the benchmark indicates the opposite. The index has remained below the benchmark for 46 consecutive months since April 2022. The BSI outlook for the manufacturing sector came to 91.8 in January, slightly down from 91.9 projected for this month. Within manufacturing, the steel sector posted a reading of 85.2, and the oil refining and petrochemical industry posted 86.2. The BSI outlook for the non-manufacturing sector came to 98.9, with the construction and transportation industries posting 85.7 and 95.7, respectively. The FKI said the sluggish performance of the construction and steel industries led to a slump in related sectors, including the metal processing industry, resulting in an overall