The Finance Ministry sees the economy now growing 1.8% in 2025 after expanding 2.1% last year. — Bloomberg
SEOUL: South Korea has sharply cut its economic growth forecasts for this year, reflecting the fallout from impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law debacle and the clouds hanging over the trade-reliant nation from Donald Trump’s tariff plans.
The Finance Ministry sees the economy now growing 1.8% in 2025 after expanding 2.1% last year, it said in a statement.
Those projections are down from July’s forecasts of 2.2% growth for last year and 2.6% for 2025, and underscore the pressure the economy faces from weaker private consumption and easing export momentum.
Global uncertainties are among key risks South Korea faces with demand for memory chips at risk of a correction and competition among export-reliant economies intensifying, the ministry said.
Growing uncertainties over outflows of money to the United States and South Korea’s political situation are also likely to continue, it said.
South Korea is reeling from Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec 3, which led to his impeachment and suspension of his duties with the Constitutional Court set to decide his fate.
His surprise move plunged the country into its worst constitutional crisis in decades and undermined investor sentiment.
The government’s 2025 outlook is 0.1 percentage point lower than the view offered by the Bank of Korea (BoK) in November.
Governor Rhee Chang-yong told reporters last month the central bank might further trim its 2025 growth forecast when it meets in February.
The BoK and government have pledged to offer unlimited liquidity if necessary to limit the economic fallout from the political crisis.
Speculation is growing among some economists that the BoK may lower its benchmark interest rate in January, in what would be a third consecutive cut since a policy pivot in October.
BoK governor Rhee Chang-yong said yesterday continued rate cuts could become a source of anxiety as he vowed to closely monitor risk factors to determine the pace of the bank’s monetary policy. — Bloomberg
