Economic Bulletin | KDI 경제교육·정보센터

KDI 경제교육·정보센터

Economic Information and Education Center

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Economic Trends

Current Economic Trends

In May, total industrial production decreased, while retail sales increased. In June, the growth in thenumber of employed persons rebounded, and consumer price growth accelerated from the previousmonth. In May, the total industrial production fell (down 3.0% m-o-m and up 2.3% y-o-y) as a decline in industrial output(down 3.0% m-o-m and down 0.9% y-o-y) more than offset increases in services output (up 1.3% m-o-m and up4.9% y-o-y) and construction output (up 3.8% m-o-m and down 1.9% y-o-y). Facilities investment moved down (down 0.1% m-o-m and up 9.7% y-o-y) and retail sales moved up (up 0.1% m-o-m and up 1.7% y-o-y). The cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index for May fell by 0.3 points and the cyclical indicator ofthe leading composite index increased by 0.7 points. In May, facilities investment moved down (down 0.1% m-o-m and up 9.7% y-o-y) and retail sales moved up (up 0.1% and up 1.7%). In June, the consumer sentiment index (CSI) went up by 0.5 points month-on-month to 106.6. The compositebusiness sentiment index (CBSI) went down by 1.2 points to 97.7 and the CBSI outlook for July dropped by 2.4points to 95.2. In June, exports climbed by 70.9 percent year-on-year, supported by expanded exports of semiconductor,computers, and ships. Average daily exports rose by 59.5 percent in June compared to the same month of lastyear. In June, the number of employed persons grew by 63,000 from a year earlier, and the unemployment rateremained unchanged at 2.8 percent. In June, the year-on-year consumer price index (CPI) climbed by 3.2 percent, up from 3.1 percent last month,while the index excluding food and energy rose by 2.5 percent, the index excluding agricultural products andpetroleum products rose by 2.4 percent, and the CPI for living necessities increased by 3.4 percent. In June, stock prices remained flat, Korean Treasury Bond yields increased, and the Korean won weakenedagainst the U.S. dollar. In June, both housing prices (up 0.33% m-o-m) and Jeonse (lump-sum deposits with no monthly payments)prices (up 0.38% m-o-m) continued to climb. The Korean economy has recently seen its recovery gain a firmer footing, following a marked accelerationin growth in the first quarter. Exports continued to increase sharply and domestic demand, includingconsumption, improved after temporarily losing momentum due in part to the impact of the war in theMiddle East. However, cost-of-living pressures persist, including higher inflation and slower employment growth in the wakeof the conflict in the Middle East. Although the global economy continues to grow at a moderate pace, the impact of the Middle East conflict haspushed up inflation in major economies and raised concerns over slower growth, while uncertainty surroundinginternational financial markets and energy prices remains. The government plans to make every effort to minimize the impact of the Middle East conflict by ensuringstable supplies of key goods and maintaining price stability. At the same time, it will swiftly implement theEconomic Growth Strategy for the Second Half of 2026 to address structural challenges, including a post？conflict strategy for the Middle East, a rebound in potential growth, and measures to address economicpolarization. * For further details, please refer to the attached file.

Aug 2026