In April, total industrial production, facilities investment, and retail sales decreased. In May, the number of employed persons fell, while consumer price growth accelerated from the previous month.

In April, the industrial sector (down 0.7% m-o-m and up 1.5% y-o-y) and services sector (down 1.0% m-o-m and up 3.5% y-o-y) and construction sector (down 1.4% m-o-m and down 5.5% y-o-y) fell, resulting in a decline in total industrial production (down 0.6% m-o-m and up 2.4% y-o-y).

The cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index went up by 0.2 points and the cyclical indicator of the leading composite index increased by 0.6 points in April.

In April, facilities investment (down 3.6% m-o-m and up 8.1% y-o-y) and retail sales (down 3.6% and up 1.6%) decreased.

In May, the consumer sentiment index (CSI) went up by 6.9 points month-on-month to 106.1. The composite business sentiment index (CBSI) grew by 4.0 points to 98.9 and the CBSI outlook for June increased by 3.7 points to 97.6.

In May, exports climbed by 53.2 percent year-on-year, supported by expanded exports of semiconductor, computers, and ships. Average daily exports rose by 60.7 percent in May compared to the same month oflast year.

In May, the number of employed persons went down by 40,000 from a year earlier, and the unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percent point to 2.9 percent.

In May, the year-on-year consumer price index (CPI) climbed by 3.1 percent, up from 2.6 percent last month, while the index excluding food and energy rose by 2.5 percent. The index excluding agricultural products and petroleum products rose by 2.5 percent, and the CPI for living necessities increased by 3.3 percent.

In May, both housing prices (up 0.21% m-o-m) and Jeonse (lump-sum deposits with no monthly payments) prices (up 0.35% m-o-m) continued to climb.

In May, stock prices rose, Korean Treasury Bond yields increased, and the Korean won weakened.

Recently, the Korean economy has maintained its recovery momentum, supported by robust exports and improvements in private consumption and business sentiment. However, concerns remain over pressures on livelihoods, including rising prices and slowing employment growth, amid persistent uncertainties stemming from the conflict in the Middle East and other factors.

The global economy has continued to grow at a moderate pace; however, the conflict in the Middle East has heightened volatility in international financial markets and energy prices, raising concerns over supply chain disruptions, mounting inflationary pressures, and a slowdown in growth.

To minimize the impact of the Middle East conflict, the government plans to continue operating its emergency economic response framework, expedite the execution of the supplementary budget including financial support for those affected by high energy prices and take all necessary measures to stabilize livelihoods through close monitoring of key commodity supplies and prices.

■ Current Economic Trends
　Overview
　Economic Activity
　1. Gross Domestic Product
　2. Total Production and composite index of business indicators
　3. Private consumption
　4. Facility investment
　5. Construction investment
　6. Exports and imports
　7. Employment
　8. Prices
　9. Housing market

　Financial Markets
　1. Stock market
　2. Bond market
　3. Foreign exchange market
　4. Money market
　5. Official foreign reserves
　6. External debt

　Public Finance
　1. Fiscal balance
　2. National debt

■ Economic News Briefing
　1. Korea’s GDP Increased by 1.8 % in Q1 2026 (Preliminary estimate)
　2. Second Vice Minister an IR Session on the Korean Economy in Paris
　3. Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation Officially Launches