SEOUL, June 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's revised real gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, grew 1.8 percent in the first quarter from the previous quarter, central bank data showed Tuesday.

It was higher than the preliminary 1.7 percent growth released in April, marking the fastest increase since the third quarter of 2020, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, climbed 5.9 percent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year thanks to strong semiconductor demand, while import expanded 3.9 percent, BOK data showed.

Private consumption mounted 0.6 percent, but fiscal spending reduced 0.4 percent.

Facility investment advanced 6.6 percent, and construction investment gained 1.4 percent.

Nominal gross national income, which measures the combined income earned at home and abroad by people and businesses, swelled 11.0 percent in the January-March quarter compared to the previous quarter.

The GDP deflator, or the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP to gauge the change of prices for all goods and services produced in the country, jumped 12.9 percent in the cited quarter.