정부, 8개월째 '경제회복흐름' 판단…"불확실성 확대" 우려
The government's latest economic report shows continued rise in industrial output and strong exports.
But there are some concerns over the weak employment figures and the risk of collateral damage from the U.S.-China trade war.
Won Jung-hwan help us look beyond the numbers.
South Korea's economy has been on a steady rise for 8 straight months on the back of a rebound in industrial output.
According to the government's monthly economic "Green Book" report,… South Korea's overall industrial output rose 0-point-3-percent on-month in May, following the previous month's 1-point-5 percent gain.
The country's exports have exceeded 50 billion U.S. dollars a month for four consecutive months despite rising oil prices and interest rate hikes in the United States.
But the latest economic forecast highlighted increasing uncertainties stemming from a sluggish job market and the growing trade spat between China and the U.S.
The number of newly added jobs still remains in the one-hundred-thousand range for five straight months in June, the worst it's been since last decade's financial crisis,... keeping the employment rate at just 67-percent,... unchanged from the same period in 2017.
And uncertainties have increased over the trade conflict between the U.S. and China, Korea's two largest trading partners,… and the impact that dispute could have on Korean exports.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
