The Green Book: Current Economic Trends
Overview Koreas real economy continued to improve backed by exports and domestic demand, although rising oil prices and the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease affected supply and led to inflation. Mining and manufacturing production in December accelerated a month-on-month rise in line with brisk semiconductors and automobiles, while service output improved amid recovering domestic demand even though an unusual cold spell and foot-and-mouth disease negatively affected wholesale and retail sales. Consumer goods sales posted a month-on-month decrease in December, as the sales of durable and non-durable goods declined due to rising prices. Facilities investment slightly climbed for the second consecutive month in December, thanks to machinery investment recovering from a recent slump. Construction completed rose at a faster pace, as SOC budget spending increased at the end of the year. Although imports soared due to rising oil prices and increasing seasonal energy demand, the trade balance stayed in the black in January helped by growing vessel exports. Employment continued to improve in December, led by the private sector, with the total number of workers hired gaining more than 400,000 and the employment rate rising from a month earlier. The consumer price in January 2011 posted a 4.1 percent increase, as the prices of agricultural, livestock and fishery products jumped along with those of oil and processed food products. Core consumer prices, although remaining stable at the 2.0 percent-range, rose at a faster rate compared with the previous month due to increasing service fees. In January stock prices rose and foreign exchange rates fell, amid expectations of both global and domestic economic recovery, but the upward trend slowed down affected by the unrest in Egypt. Housing prices continued moderate recovery in the Seoul metropolitan area in January, while rent soared due to seasonal demand, particularly in areas with prestigious schools. To sum up, although the global economy has recovered at a faster pace with the US economy posting better-than-expected performance, there are still uncertainties as fiscal situations in major economies aggravate, inflation worries in emerging countries continue, and unrest in the Middle East countries may surface. The Korean government will go on with macroeconomic policies which facilitate sustainable growth and curb inflation, while continuing efforts to reform the economy strong enough to absorb internal and external risks. On the other hand, to ensure supply the government will examine the implementation of anti-inflation measures announced on January 13 and come up with supplementary ones to them if necessary. * For further details, please refer to the attached file
Feb 2011