SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter, marking the first decline in nine years, central bank data showed Thursday.

Real GDP shrank 0.2 percent in the October-December quarter from the previous three-month period, after growing 1.5 percent in the previous quarter, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It was the first fall since a 3.3 percent reduction in the fourth quarter of 2008 when the global financial crisis peaked.

From a year earlier, the real GDP increased 3.1 percent in the fourth quarter, being identical to the growth forecast of the BOK, but 0.1 percentage point lower than the government's outlook.