Economic Bulletin | KDI 경제교육·정보센터

KDI 경제교육·정보센터

Economic Information and Education Center

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Economic Trends

Current Economic Trends

In April, total industrial production, facilities investment, and retail sales decreased. In May, thenumber of employed persons fell, while consumer price growth accelerated from the previous month. In April, the industrial sector (down 0.7% m-o-m and up 1.5% y-o-y) and services sector (down 1.0% m-o-mand up 3.5% y-o-y) and construction sector (down 1.4% m-o-m and down 5.5% y-o-y) fell, resulting in adecline in total industrial production (down 0.6% m-o-m and up 2.4% y-o-y). The cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index went up by 0.2 points and the cyclical indicatorof the leading composite index increased by 0.6 points in April. In April, facilities investment (down 3.6% m-o-m and up 8.1% y-o-y) and retail sales (down 3.6% and up 1.6%)decreased. In May, the consumer sentiment index (CSI) went up by 6.9 points month-on-month to 106.1. Thecomposite business sentiment index (CBSI) grew by 4.0 points to 98.9 and the CBSI outlook for Juneincreased by 3.7 points to 97.6. In May, exports climbed by 53.2 percent year-on-year, supported by expanded exports of semiconductor,computers, and ships. Average daily exports rose by 60.7 percent in May compared to the same month oflast year. In May, the number of employed persons went down by 40,000 from a year earlier, and theunemployment rate increased by 0.1 percent point to 2.9 percent. In May, the year-on-year consumer price index (CPI) climbed by 3.1 percent, up from 2.6 percent lastmonth, while the index excluding food and energy rose by 2.5 percent. The index excluding agriculturalproducts and petroleum products rose by 2.5 percent, and the CPI for living necessities increased by 3.3percent. In May, both housing prices (up 0.21% m-o-m) and Jeonse (lump-sum deposits with no monthly payments)prices (up 0.35% m-o-m) continued to climb. In May, stock prices rose, Korean Treasury Bond yields increased, and the Korean won weakened. Recently, the Korean economy has maintained its recovery momentum, supported by robust exportsand improvements in private consumption and business sentiment. However, concerns remain overpressures on livelihoods, including rising prices and slowing employment growth, amid persistentuncertainties stemming from the conflict in the Middle East and other factors. The global economy has continued to grow at a moderate pace; however, the conflict in the Middle Easthas heightened volatility in international financial markets and energy prices, raising concerns over supplychain disruptions, mounting inflationary pressures, and a slowdown in growth. To minimize the impact of the Middle East conflict, the government plans to continue operating itsemergency economic response framework, expedite the execution of the supplementary budget including financial support for those affected by high energy prices and take all necessary measures tostabilize livelihoods through close monitoring of key commodity supplies and prices. * For further details, please refer to the attached file.

Jul 2026