Gov't maintains 'solid recovery' assessment, flags slower consumption pickup

그린북, 두달째 '견조한 경기회복' 진단… "투자 양호•소비 완만 개선" The Korean government has reiterated that the economy continues to recover at a solid pace, driven by strong exports and investment. However, it acknowledged that household spending is lagging as the war in the Middle East keeps prices high. Our Baek Ju-hee reports. For the second straight month, the Ministry of Finance and Economy has described the Korean economy as being on a 'solid recovery' path. In its October Recent Economic Trends report released Friday, the Ministry said exports are rising sharply, and investment is growing at a healthy pace, although consumption is improving more slowly. "The Korean economy continues its solid recovery, with exports surging, investment growing, and consumption gradually improving." Exports remain the biggest driver of this economic recovery. Outbound shipments in September surged 83-point-5 percent from a year earlier to 120-point-9-4 billion U.S. dollars, and daily average exports more than doubled. Facility investment dipped on-month in August but rose 16-point-1 percent on-year, while machinery orders, a leading indicator of future investment, jumped 42-point-2 percent. Machinery imports also climbed 25-point-5 percent, signaling continued investment strength. However, consumption has lost some momentum. Retail sales fell 1-point-8 percent on-month in August, and card spending growth slowed to 2-point-3 percent in September. Still, consumer sentiment improved to 106-point-6, signaling a possible rebound in spending. Pressure on households persists. Consumer inflation eased to 2-point-9 percent in September from 3-point-1 percent, still above the central bank's 2 percent target, with core inflation at 2-point-8 percent. The ministry said growing uncertainty from the Middle East war is keeping oil prices high, adding to price pressure, while job conditions remain difficult for vulnerable groups. "With uncertainty from the Middle East war growing, high oil prices and tough job conditions for vulnerable groups continue to weigh on livelihoods. The global economy is growing moderately, but uncertainty over the Middle East war and U.S. tariffs remains." To limit the fallout from external wars, the government plans to closely manage the supply of key items. It will also step up efforts to stabilize livelihoods and ease polarization, so that the gains from growth reach more areas of the economy. Baek Ju-hee, Arirang News. #Economy #GreenBook #Investment #Consumption #Recovery #경기 #소비 #투자 #그린북 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Youtube :    / Канал   📣 Homepage : https://v2.arirang.com/ 2026-10-16, 17:00 (KST)