Current Economic Trends
In June, total industrial production, retail sales, and facility investment increased. In July, employmentgrowth accelerated, while consumer price growth slowed from the previous month. In June, output increased in industrial sector (up 6.4% m-o-m and up 5.8% y-o-y), services (up 0.7% m-o-mand up 5.3% y-o-y) and construction (up 4.1% m-o-m and down 4.0% y-o-y), resulting in an increase in totalindustrial production (up 2.3% m-o-m and up 4.2% y-o-y). The cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index for June rose by 0.5 points and the cyclicalindicator of the leading composite index increased by 0.9 points. Facilities investment moved up (up 5.8% m-o-m and up 21.7% y-o-y) and retail sales also increased (up 2.7%m-o-m and up 4.2% y-o-y). In July, the consumer sentiment index (CSI) rose by 0.2 points month-on-month to 106.8. The compositebusiness sentiment index (CBSI) went up by 0.8 points to 98.5 and the CBSI outlook for August increasedby 1.3 points to 96.5. In July, exports climbed by 62.8 percent year-on-year, supported by strong exports of semiconductor,computers, and ships. Average daily exports rose by 69.6 percent in July compared to the same month oflast year. In July, the number of employed persons grew by 108,000 from a year earlier, and the unemploymentrate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 2.6 percent. In July, the year-on-year consumer price index (CPI) climbed by 2.8 percent, down from 3.2 percent lastmonth, while the index excluding food and energy rose by 2.6 percent, the index excluding agriculturalproducts and petroleum products rose by 2.5 percent, and the CPI for living necessities increased by 2.5percent. In July, stock prices fell, Korean Treasury Bond yields rose, and the Korean won strengthened against theU.S. dollar. In July, both housing prices (up 0.35% m-o-m) and Jeonse (lump-sum deposits with no monthly payments)prices (up 0.38% m-o-m) climbed. The Korean economy has recently shown stronger signs of recovery, with exports increasing sharplyand domestic demand, including consumption, continuing to improve. However, amid persistent uncertainty stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, pressures onlivelihoods remain, including inflationary pressures from high oil prices and challenging employmentconditions for vulnerable groups and sectors. The global economy continues to grow at a moderate pace, but uncertainties surrounding the conflict inthe Middle East and U.S. tariff measures persist. The government plans to make every effort to minimize the impact of the Middle East conflict by ensuringstable supplies of key items, maintaining price stability and supporting peoples livelihoods, while swiftlyimplementing the Economic Growth Strategy for the Second Half of 2026 to address structural challenges,including a post-conflict strategy, measures to boost potential growth and efforts to address economicpolarization. * For further details, please refer to the attached file.
Sep 2026
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