Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Republic of Korea
Economic Bulletin
Policy Issues
New measures to boost home transactions 42
Statistical Appendices 51
The Green Book
Current Economic Trends
Overview
While the Korean economy has continued to pick up with improving employment, indicators
showing domestic demand have slowed down due to rising oil prices and the outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease, and prices have stayed on an upward track.
Mining and manufacturing production fell 2.3 percent month-on-month in February due to
the Lunar New Year holiday, without the effect of which the index would have continued a
usual increase. Service output lost 3.4 percent from the previous month with the outbreak of
food-and-month disease and unusual cold spells, both of which disturbed outdoor activities.
In February retail sales declined 6.1 percent month-on-month, as rising oil prices shrank
consumer sentiment, and after a surge of sales due to Lunar New Year Holiday demand in
the previous month.
Facilities investment dropped 8.4 percent month-on-month in February, while the manufacturing
operation ratio remained high, which would lead to high investment demand. Construction
investment decreased month-on-month for two months in a row, down 8.5 percent.
Although imports soared due to rising oil prices, a trade surplus in March expanded to
US$3.1 billion from the previous month’s US$2.5 billion, as the recovering global economy
supported exports.
The consumer price, despite drops in agricultural, livestock & fishery product prices, rose 4.7
percent in March, due to petroleum and manufactured products, whose prices increased in line
with rising international oil and commodities prices. Core consumer prices accelerated a rise
from 3.1 percent in the previous month to 3.3 percent, affected by increasing service charges.
In March, although the earthquake in Japan stirred financial markets in the beginning, stock
prices rose and foreign exchange rates fell, as investment sentiment recovered and foreign
capital flowed in.
Both home prices and rent posted a faster increase than the previous month in March, while
those in the Seoul metropolitan area slowed down with a moving season nearing an end.
To sum up, although the global economy has recovered at a faster pace, there are growing
uncertainties such as rising oil prices due to political unrest in the Middle East, worries over
Japan’s radiation leak, and the European fiscal crisis.
The Korean government will closely watch external changes and flexibly respond to them, so
that the Korean economy can stand in the way of solid recovery with employment steadily
improving and inflation stabilizing. On the other hand, to curb inflation expectations which
lead to price instability, it will swiftly respond to changes that could affect prices, such as an
international oil price rise, while stepping up efforts to enable the economy to deal with
external changes, for example, oil prices staying high for an extended period.
Economic Bulletin 3
1. Global economy
Growth is continuing in major countries such as the US and China but uncertainties are
growing in the global economy, along with unease regarding the effects of Japan’s
earthquake as well as rising oil prices affected by political instability in the Middle East and
North Africa and resurfacing European fiscal crisis.
US
US economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2010 has been revised upward from 2.8 percent
(preliminary, annualized q-o-q) to 3.1 percent (final).
In February, industrial production slowed down to 0.0 percent compared with the previous
month and the ISM manufacturing index slightly declined, while retail sales expanded by
1.0 percent.
In February both new and existing home sales dropped 16.9 percent and 9.6 percent month-
on-month, respectively, and in January the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index fell for the
seventh consecutive month.
Unemployment declined to 8.8 percent in March, a drop of 0.1 percentage point month-on-
month, with the labor market slowly improving thanks to increasing non-farm payrolls.
On March 15, the Federal Open Market Committee estimated that the economy was making
a solid recovery and the employment market was gradually improving. The committee also
reiterated its view that the US$600 billion QE2 program, the Fed’s second round of
quantitative easing, should be carried out as planned.
4 April 2011
1-1 US GDP (q-o-q, annualized rate)
Source: US Department of Commerce
Economic Bulletin 5
China China’s industrial production and consumption remained strong. China, however, faced
continued inflationary pressure due to increasing grain and raw material prices as well as
higher demand. The country’s trade balance shifted from a surplus of US$6.5 billion in
January to a deficit of US$7.3 billion in February with decreasing exports during the Lunar
New Year holiday and surging raw material imports due to a rise in international
commodities prices. Prices remained high, while liquidity growth slowed down as a result of
the key interest rate and banks’ reserve requirement ratio hikes.
M2 growth (%)
19.0 (Sep 2010) 19.3 (Oct) 19.5 (Nov) 19.7 (Dec) 17.2 (Jan 2011) 15.7 (Feb)
Japan Uncertainties regarding the Japanese economy significantly increased as a result of the March
11 earthquake, while industrial production and exports decelerated an increase. Japan’s
Cabinet Office said on March 23 that the economy had been affected by the earthquake and its
power to pick up had been weakening.
(Percentage change from previous period)
2009 20101 20111
Annual Q4 Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Jan Feb
Real GDP -6.3 1.8 4.0 1.5 0.5 0.8 -0.3 - -
Industrial and mining production -21.8 5.9 16.0 7.0 1.5 -1.8 -1.6 1.3 0.4
Retail sales (y-o-y, %) -2.3 -0.7 2.5 3.8 3.7 3.2 -0.4 0.1 0.1
Exports (y-o-y, %) -34.2 -8.7 25.7 44.8 35.2 18.8 10.8 2.9 -
Consumer prices (y-o-y, %) -1.4 -2.0 -0.7 -1.2 -0.9 -0.8 0.1 0.0 0.0
1. Preliminary Source: Japan’s Statistics Bureau and Statistics Centre
Eurozone Eurozone’s economic recovery has continued with Germany and other major countries
leading the way despite fresh concerns over fiscal crises in countries such as Portugal. The
EU summit on Mach 24-25 failed to agree on steps to raise the ceiling for loans from the
European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) from 250 billion euros to 440 billion.
(Percentage change from previous period)
2009 1 20111
2010
Annual Q4 Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Jan Feb
Real GDP -4.0 0.2 1.7 0.4 1.0 0.3 0.3 - -
Industrial production -14.9 1.1 7.1 2.4 2.4 1.0 1.7 0.0 -
Retail sales -2.2 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.2 -0.1
Exports (y-o-y, %) -18.1 -9.4 20.1 12.9 22.3 22.8 21.8 27.0 -
Consumer prices (y-o-y, %) 0.3 0.4 1.6 1.1 1.5 1.7 2.0 2.3 2.4
1. Preliminary Source: Eurostat
6 April 2011
1-4 China’s GDP and fixed asset investment
Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China
Economic Bulletin 7
2. Private consumption
Private consumption (preliminary GDP) increased 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter and 3.2
percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2010.
(Percentage change from same period in previous year)
2009 2010 1
Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Private consumption2 0.0 -4.7 -1.1 0.4 5.6 4.1 6.6 3.5 3.6 2.9
(Seasonally adjusted)3 - -0.3 3.7 1.4 0.9 - 0.5 0.7 1.4 0.3
1. Preliminary 2. National accounts 3. Percentage change from previous period
Source: The Bank of Korea
In February, retail sales fell 6.1 percent month-on-month and 0.8 percent year-on-year with
non-durable and semi-durable goods leading the trend, following a surge of sales due to
Lunar New Year holiday demand in the previous month and as consumer sentiment dipped
affected by high oil prices and outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease. On a month-on-month
basis, sales of durable, semi-durable and non-durable goods declined 2.2 percent, 8.2
percent, and 7.7 percent, respectively. On a year-on-year basis, both durable goods sales
and semi-durable goods sales expanded 9.0 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively, whereas
those of non-durable ones declined due to higher prices of food and oil products.
(Percentage change from same period in previous year)
2009 2010 20111
Annual Q4 Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Dec Jan Feb
Consumer goods sales 2.7 10.9 6.6 9.7 4.9 7.5 5.1 4.3 10.6 -0.8
(Seasonally adjusted) 2 - 3.8 - 0.6 -0.1 3.3 0.8 -0.4 4.1 -6.1
- Durable goods3 8.2 34.1 14.9 29.6 5.6 17.0 10.6 6.2 14.0 9.0
・Automobiles 21.8 77.0 11.1 48.9 -2.1 12.0 0.1 -8.6 7.7 2.9
- Semi-durable goods 4 1.3 4.5 6.8 2.5 6.2 6.6 11.1 12.0 11.1 2.3
- Non-durable goods 5 1.2 4.0 2.2 3.2 3.3 3.0 -0.7 0.2 9.3 -6.9
1. Preliminary
2. Percentage change from previous period
3. Durable goods: Automobiles, electronic appliances, furniture, telecommunications devices, etc.
4. Semi-durable goods: Clothing, footwear, etc.
5. Non-durable goods: Food, medicine, cosmetics, fuel, tobacco, etc.
Source: Statistics Korea
Sales inched up 0.2 percent at convenience stores, which are not affected by holiday
demand, but fell 9.0 percent at department stores and 15.7 percent at large discounters, the
decline of which came after a sales increase due to Lunar New Year holiday demand. On a
year-on-year basis, sales grew by 10.0% at convenience stores and 3.1% at department
stores, but slipped by 10.8% at large discounters and 13.6% at supermarkets.
(Percentage change from same period in previous year)
2009 2010 20111
Annual Q4 Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Dec Jan Feb
- Department stores 4.3 9.7 8.8 7.5 9.2 7.4 10.5 10.0 20.5 3.1
- Large discounters -2.2 2.7 4.4 5.4 4.1 7.6 0.8 2.6 20.4 -10.8
- Specialized retailers2 3.0 12.7 5.6 9.7 1.8 7.3 4.2 2.4 6.6 1.9
1. Preliminary
2. Specialized retailers are defined as stores carrying a few (1 to 3) specialized items.
Source: Statistics Korea
8 April 2011
2-1 Private consumption
Source: The Bank of Korea (national accounts)
Economic Bulletin 9
Consumer goods sales in March, despite factors interfering in consumer sentiment such as
the earthquake in Japan and rising food and energy product prices, is projected to increase,
given a rise in household income and high estimates of advanced indicators.
Also, amid a continued rise in wages, the number of workers hired has grown, providing a
boost to real purchasing power.
Sales at department stores and large discounters accelerated compared with February,
when they dropped considerably following a sales surge due to Lunar New Year holiday
demand, while domestic credit card spending and imports of consumer goods steadily grew.
However, gasoline sales slowed down due to high oil prices.
With continuing uncertainties at home and abroad, consumer sentiment is declining, which
would lead to a slowdown in consumption to some extent. The sentiment fell below the
benchmark of 100 for the first time since May 2009 due to the earthquake and radiation leak
in Japan as well as rising food and energy prices.
10 April 2011
2-4 Department store and discount store sales (current value)
Source: Ministry of Knowledge Economy (monthly retail sales)
Economic Bulletin 11
3. Facility investment
Facility investment (preliminary GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2010 posted a quarter-on-
quarter decrease of 1.0 percent and a year-on-year gain of 15.9 percent.
2010 2011
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Business survey indices (base=100) for
103 103 104 104 102
manufacturing facility investment projections
Source: The Bank of Korea
12 April 2011
3-1 Facility investment by type
Source: The Bank of Korea (national accounts)
Economic Bulletin 13
4. Construction investment
Construction investment (preliminary GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2010 fell 1.0 percent
quarter-on-quarter and 2.9 percent year-on-year.
(Percentage change from same period in previous year)
2008 2009 20101
Annual Annual Q3 Q4 Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Construction investment 2 -2.8 3.4 3.2 4.0 -1.4 4.3 -2.3 -3.1 -2.9
(Seasonally adjusted)3 - - -1.2 0.7 - 2.0 -4.2 -0.8 -1.0
- Building construction -4.6 -2.3 0.2 2.4 -2.9 4.5 -5.1 -6.3 -2.8
- Civil engineering works -0.2 11.6 8.2 5.6 0.5 4.0 1.0 1.7 -2.9
1. Preliminary
2. National accounts
3. Percentage change from previous period
Source: The Bank of Korea
The value of construction completion in February dropped 8.5 percent month-on-month and
19.2 percent year-on-year, as both building construction and civil engineering works declined.
It is unlikely that construction investment will rebound soon considering poor leading
indicators, including construction orders and building permit area and contracted
investment sentiment of construction companies.
2010 2011
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Business survey indices (base=100) for
75.6 81.3 77.5 87.0 80.5
construction projections
Source: The Construction and Economy Research Institute of Korea
14 April 2011
4-1 Construction investment
Source: The Bank of Korea (national accounts)
Economic Bulletin 15
5. Exports and imports
Exports in March increased 30.3 percent (preliminary) year-on-year to US$48.60 billion.
Despite external uncertainties caused by Japan’s earthquake and the political unrest in the
Middle East, exports continued to be solid, led by petroleum products (up 87.5%), vessels
(up 70.0 %), steel (up 33.2%), and automobiles (up 24.4%).
It was the second consecutive month that average daily exports posted more than two billion
dollars, registering US$2.03 billion, following February, when the index hit a record high.
By regional category, exports to the ASEAN countries (up 39.5%), EU (up 19.6%), China (up
18.6%) and the US (up 14.9%) increased along with those to Japan (up 64.3%).
(US$ billion)
2009 2010 2011
Annual Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Jan Feb Mar1
Exports 365.53 466.38 101.08 120.24 116.32 128.75 44.60 38.61 48.60
(y-o-y, %) -13.9 28.3 35.8 33.1 22.7 23.8 45.1 16.9 30.3
Average daily exports 1.30 1.70 1.51 1.76 1.72 1.79 1.94 2.03 2.03
Imports 323.08 425.21 98.16 105.63 105.70 115.73 41.76 36.15 45.50
(y-o-y, %) -25.8 31.6 37.4 42.8 24.6 24.6 32.4 16.4 27.9
Average daily imports 13.16 1.46 0.47 1.54 1.57 1.61 1.82 1.90 1.90
1. Preliminary
Source: Korea Customs Service
The imports of raw materials (up 38.0%) and consumer goods (up 28.6%) soared in line with
rising international commodity prices and recovering domestic demand, while those of
capital goods (up 10.4%) also posted a double-digit increase.
(US$ billion)
2009 2010 2011
Annual Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Jan Feb Mar1
Trade Balance 40.45 41.17 2.93 14.61 10.62 13.02 2.92 2.46 3.10
1. Preliminary
Source: Korea Customs Service
16 April 2011
5-1 Exports (customs clearance basis)
Source: Korea Customs Service & Ministry of Knowledge Economy (export and import trend)
Economic Bulletin 17
6. Mining and manufacturing production
Mining and manufacturing production in February, while rising 9.1 percent year-on-year, fell
2.3 percent month-on-month, as the Lunar New Year holiday and labor-management
disputes interrupted operation.
By business category, semiconductors and parts (up 6.3%) and audio-visual communications
equipment (up 1.8%) increased month-on-month, while automobiles (down 9.4%) and
clothing and furs (down 22.2%) went down.
Shipments posted a month-on-month loss of 4.4 percent while inventories gained 2.7
percent, which pushed up the manufacturing inventory-shipment ratio for the first time in
four months.
By business category, the shipments of refined petroleum (up 0.9%) and audio-visual
communications equipment (up 0.1%) increased month-on-month, while those of
automobiles (down 9.9%) and machinery (down 6.0%) declined. The inventories of
semiconductors and parts (up 13.9%) and computers (up 20.4%) climbed month-on-month,
while those of automobiles (down 3.8%) and primary metals (down 1.9%) fell.
The average operation ratio of the manufacturing sector fell 2.2 percentage points to 82.5
percent, yet hovering above the 10 year average of 78.3 percent between 2000 and 2010 by
4.2 percentage points.
Manufacturing Average operation ratio (%) 74.4 81.2 81.2 80.8 80.5 82.2 84.7 82.5
activity Production capacity 3.5 7.2 7.8 7.4 6.0 7.3 7.0 6.9
1. Preliminary
2. Including mining, manufacturing, electricity and gas industry
3. Information and Communications Technology
4. End-period
Source: Statistics Korea
Exports (y-o-y, %)
27.6 (Oct 2010) 21.4 (Nov) 22.6 (Dec) 45.1 (Jan 2011) 16.9 (Feb) 30.3 (Mar1)
18 April 2011
6-1 Industrial production
Source: Statistics Korea (industrial activity trend)
6-3 Inventory
Source: Statistics Korea (industrial activity trend)
Economic Bulletin 19
7. Service sector activity
Service activity in February decreased 3.4 percent month-on-month due to sluggish
wholesale & retail sales and hotels & restaurant affected by the setback effect following
expenditure ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Limited outdoor activities amid the
outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and cold wave also contributed to the trend.
Service activities in all areas except transportation services (up 0.1%) decreased month-on-
month. In particular, wholesale & retail sales (down 6.6%), financial & insurance services
(down 3.9%) and educational services (down 3.7%) showed a decline.
Amid continuing decline in wholesale & retail sales affected by higher food and energy
prices, service activity is expected to be weighed down by weak logistics performance and
leisure activities affected by Japan’s devastating earthquake and radioactive contamination.
20 April 2011
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Economic Bulletin
21
8. Employment
The number of workers on payroll in February increased by 469,000 from a year earlier,
while the employment rate (seasonally adjusted) rose by 0.5 percentage points year-on-year
to 57.1 percent.
By industry, employment in manufacturing (up 262,000), services (up 227,000) and construction
(up 27,000) climbed while that in agriculture, forestry & fishery (down 51,000) declined.
The service sector continued to expand employment with increasing health & welfare (up
203,000), business assistance (up 105,000) and professional, scientific & technical services
(up 63,000).
By status of workers, the number of regular workers (up 604,000) and daily workers (up
27,000) increased whereas temporary workers (down 57,000) decreased. Non-wage workers
(down 105,000) including self-employed workers (down 130,000) continued to decline.
22 April 2011
8-1 Number of employed and employment growth
Source: Statistics Korea (employment trend)
Economic Bulletin 23
The number of unemployed persons in February decreased by 74,000 year-on-year to
1,095,000.The unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) dropped by 0.4 percentage points
to 4.5 percent.
The youth unemployment rate fell 1.5 percentage points year-on-year to 8.5 percent.
The economically inactive population in February was up 63,000 from a year earlier to
16,450,000. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate (seasonally adjusted) rose 0.3
percentage points year-on-year to 59.8 percent.
The number of workers quitting jobs due to rest, time-off and leisure (up 244,000) and
housework (up 85,000) increased, while those who quit jobs due to old age (down 121,000),
childcare (down 44,000) and education (down 40,000) decreased.
24 April 2011
8-4 Employment rate
Source: Statistics Korea (employment trend)
Economic Bulletin 25
9. Financial market
9.1 Stock market
Despite concerns over a slowdown in the global economic recovery, the Korean stock market
gained in March helped by inflows of funds from foreign investors.
Stock market volatility accelerated in early-March due to external risk factors such as Japan’s
devastating earthquake and the consequent nuclear power plant accidents, continuing
political upheaval in the Middle East and resurgent debt crisis in Southern Europe.
After mid-month, however, the KOSPI rallied led by increasing demand on the back of eased
external risk factors, the coordinated G7 intervention to stabilize the Japanese yen,
expectations for the upcoming earnings season and continuing inflows of foreign funds.
Foreign investors shifted to the net-buying position on Korean shares to purchase 1.1 trillion
won in March helped by increasing risk tolerance level, recovering investment sentiment and
high expectations for earnings season.
The won/dollar exchange rate, however, fell as international financial markets stabilized
helped by G7’s coordinated intervention in the currency market on March 18.
The won/100 yen exchange rate was down 56.6 won month-on-month as the yen weakened
after the coordinated G7 intervention.
(End-period)
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Dec Dec Dec Dec Feb Mar Change1
Won/Dollar 936.1 1,259.5 1,164.5 1,134.8 1,134.8 1,096.7 3.5
Won/100 Yen 828.6 1,396.8 1,264.5 1,393.6 1,382.2 1,325.6 5.1
1. Appreciation from the end of the previous year (%); the exchange rate is based on the closing price at 3:00 p.m., local time.
26 April 2011
9-1 Stock prices
Economic Bulletin 27
9.3 Bond market
Treasury bond yields dipped in March due to rising demand for safe assets amid heightened
external risks.
Despite Bank of Korea’s key interest rate hike and worries over inflation, the yields fell due
to the “flight to safety assets” trend affected by the Japanese earthquake and turmoil in the
Middle East.
(End-period)
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Jan Feb Mar Change1
Call rate (1 day) 4.60 5.02 3.02 2.01 2.51 2.75 2.76 2.99 +23
CD (91 days) 4.86 5.82 3.93 2.88 2.80 3.05 3.17 3.39 +22
Treasury bonds (3 yrs) 4.92 5.74 3.41 4.44 3.38 3.96 3.84 3.73 -11
Corporate bonds (3 yrs) 5.29 6.77 7.72 5.56 4.27 4.75 4.63 4.51 -12
Treasury bonds (5 yrs) 5.00 5.78 3.77 4.98 4.08 4.41 4.28 4.11 -17
1. Basis point, changes in March 2011 from the previous month
The month-on-month M2 growth slowed down due to the government’s early spending cuts,
outflows of foreign portfolio investments, equity investments by asset management
companies (AMCs) and beleaguered savings banks.
(Percentage change from same period in previous year, average)
2008 2009 20104 20114
Annual Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Dec Jan Jan1
M1 2
-1.8 16.3 10.8 17.6 18.9 17.8 11.8 14.5 10.7 10.8 11.2 12.9 12.6 426
M2 14.3 10.3 11.5 10.1 9.9 9.8 8.7 9.4 9.5 8.6 7.4 7.2 6.5 1,676
Lf 3 11.9 7.9 8.8 7.3 7.8 7.8 8.2 8.5 9.1 8.2 7.1 6.9 6.6 2,153
1. Balance at end January 2011, trillion won
2. M1 excluding corporate MMFs and individual MMFs while including CMAs
3. Liquidity aggregates of financial institutions (mostly identical with M3)
4. Preliminary
In February 2011, bank deposits increased significantly while asset management company
(AMC) deposits accelerated the decrease.
Bank deposits greatly accelerated due to the large increase in time deposits, led by higher
deposit rates and the inflows of funds exiting savings banks and those of local government funds.
28 April 2011
9-4 Interest rates
Source: The Bank of Korea
Economic Bulletin 29
10. Balance of payments
Korea’s current account surplus (preliminary) in February expanded from the previous
month’s US$150 million to US$1.18 billion.
Despite rising international commodity prices, the goods account surplus maintained a two-
digit growth to post US$1.58 billion, helped by solid exports.
The service account deficit considerably narrowed to US$570 million from the previous
month’s deficit of US$1.64 billion on the back of decreased overseas travel and business
service payments.
The primary income account decelerated the surplus to US$540 million from the previous
month’s deficit of US$700 million due to increasing dividend payments. Meanwhile, the
secondary income account deficit narrowed to US$380 million from US$470 million a
month earlier.
(US$ billion)
2009 2010 2011
Annual Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Dec Jan Feb1
Current account 32.79 28.21 0.26 8.86 9.93 9.16 2.11 0.15 1.18
- Goods balance 37.87 41.90 4.79 12.24 12.54 12.34 3.68 1.56 1.58
- Service balance -6.64 -11.23 -4.20 -1.87 -2.96 -2.20 -1.15 -1.64 -0.57
- Income balance 2.28 0.77 0.55 -1.01 1.30 -0.07 -0.03 0.70 0.54
- Current transfers -0.71 -3.23 -0.87 -0.50 -0.95 -0.91 -0.39 -0.47 -0.38
Source: The Bank of Korea
1. Preliminary
The capital and financial account (preliminary) in February expanded the outflow to US$2.26
billion from the previous month’s outflow of US$1.28 billion.
The direct investment account slightly decelerated the outflow to US$1.64 billion from the
previous month’s outflow of US$1.73 billion with increasing inflows of foreign direct
investment.
The portfolio investment account shifted to an outflow of US$3 billion from the previous
month’s inflow of US$900 million as foreign investors turned to a net-selling position of
Korean bonds due to concerns over a possible spread of the Middle East unrest.
The financial derivatives account turned to a deficit of US$360 million from the previous
month’s surplus of US$570 million.
The other investment account expanded the net inflow to US$4.86 billion from the previous
month’s US$1.77 billion as domestic banks retrieved their short-term loans.
The current account surplus in March is expected to expand from the previous month driven
by strong exports.
30 April 2011
10-1 Current account balance
Source: The Bank of Korea (balance of payments trend)
Economic Bulletin 31
11. Prices and international commodity prices
11.1 Prices
Consumer prices in March rose 4.7 percent year-on-year and 0.5 percent month-on-month.
Although prices of agricultural, livestock & fishery products fell compared with the previous
month, high oil product prices and a price hike in personal services led to an increase in
consumer prices.
Core consumer prices, which exclude oil and agricultural products, rose 3.3 percent year-on-
year and 0.3 percent month-on-month in February due to a low base effect and an increase
in personal service charges. Consumer prices for basic necessities, a barometer of perceived
consumer prices, were up 4.9 percent compared with the same month of the previous year.
Prices of agricultural, livestock & fishery products fell 0.8 percent month-on-month, as
weather conditions improved and the alert level of foot-and-mouth disease was lowered
from “serious” to “caution”.
Prices of industrial products such as processed food and durable goods rose 1.3 percent
month-on-month, as oil product prices spiked due to an increase in the prices of
international oil and commodities.
Public utility charges remained stabilized in general, falling 0.8 percent month-on-month,
partly due to low high school tuition fees (down 17.3%, m-o-m). Personal service charges
increased 0.5 percent month-on-month, in particular the cost of dining out.
32 April 2011
11-1 Prices
Source: Statistics Korea (consumer prices, core inflation) & The Bank of Korea (producer prices)
Economic Bulletin 33
11.2. International oil and commodity prices
International oil and domestic oil product prices rose in March.
International oil prices (Dubai crude) continued to rise due to political turmoil in the Middle
East, with the earthquake in Japan adding volatility to prices.
(US$/barrel, period average)
2008 2009 2010 2011
Annual Annual Annual Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Dubai crude 94.3 61.9 78.1 75.2 80.3 83.6 88.9 92.5 100.5 108.5
Brent crude 97.5 61.7 79.7 77.9 83.2 85.8 91.8 96.8 104.1 114.6
WTI crude 99.9 61.9 79.5 75.3 81.9 84.4 89.2 89.5 89.6 103.0
Source: Korea National Oil Corporation
Domestic oil product prices surged as a result of high international oil prices.
Non-ferrous metal prices fell, led by copper and nickel, as the earthquake quelled demand,
stocks of major items such as copper increased, and import demand from China decreased.
Copper inventories have been rising since last December, and China’s copper imports fell 36
percent month-on-month in February.
International grain prices decreased due to adjustments made from recent price surges, and
also due to expectations of rising inventories. In March, USDA announced that the world
grain stocks may increase from 426 million tons to 436 million tons.
34 April 2011
11-4 International oil prices
Source: Korea National Oil Corporation
Economic Bulletin 35
12. Real estate market
12.1 Housing market
The upward trend of nationwide apartment sales prices accelerated in March, rising 1.3
percent month-on-month.
Apartment sales prices in the Seoul metropolitan area increased for the fourth straight
month, up 0.3 percent month-on-month.
Apartment sales prices in areas excluding the Seoul metropolitan area continued an upward
trend, led by South Gyeongsang Province (up 4.5%, m-o-m), Busan (up 2.8%, m-o-m) and
Daejeon (up 2.5%, m-o-m). Apartment prices in 5 metropolitan cities and other cities
climbed 2.3 percent and 2.2 percent each, surpassing the national average.
Nationwide apartment rental prices in March were up 2.3 percent from the previous month.
The increase rate was slightly higher than the previous month’s 2.0 percent. Growth
continued in Seoul (up 1.8%, m-o-m), the Seoul metropolitan area (up 2.4%, m-o-m) and
Gyeonggi Province (up 3.1%, m-o-m).
Apartment sales transactions in February decreased 2.83 percent from the previous month’s
79,724 to 77,471. From a year earlier, the transactions were up 16.5 percent.
36 April 2011
12-1 Real estate prices
Source: Kookmin Bank (national housing price trend)
Economic Bulletin 37
12.2 Land market
Nationwide land prices in February rose for the fourth consecutive month (up 0.09%), but
were still 2.03 percent lower than the pre-crisis peak reached in October 2008. Land prices
were 0.23 percent lower compared with the previous year, with the increase pace shown to
be decelerating evenly nationwide.
Land prices in the Seoul metropolitan area (up 0.10%), Seoul (up 0.12%), Gyeonggi Province
(up 0.08%) and Incheon (up 0.06%) were all almost on par with prices of the previous
month.
Land prices in areas excluding the Seoul metropolitan area rose 0.07 percent month-on-
month in February, continuing the upward trend from October 2010.
Nationwide land transactions in February recorded 176,000 land lots, down 7.6 percent from
the previous month. On a year-on-year basis, however, the transactions were up 5.1 percent.
Land transactions were 2.6% less than the five-year February average of 181,000 land lots.
Month-on-month land transactions decreased slightly in areas such as Seoul (down 5.8%,
m-o-m), Busan (down 9.7%, m-o-m), Gwangju (down 4.6%, m-o-m), and Ulsan (down
12.4%, m-o-m).
38 April 2011
12-4 Land and consumer prices since 1970s
Source: Korea Land Corporation (land prices) & Statistics Korea (consumer prices)
Economic Bulletin 39
13. Composite indices of business cycle indicators
The cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index fell for the first time in three months
in February (down 0.2p, m-o-m).
Among the components of the coincident composite index, the mining & manufacturing
production index, manufacturing operation ratio index, domestic shipment index and number
of non-farm payroll employment rose, while the rest decreased from the previous month.
The year-on-year leading composite index in February fell 0.6 percentage points from the
previous month.
Among the components of the leading composite index, five components, including the value
of machinery orders received and indicator of inventory cycle, rose while others such as the
consumer expectations index and liquidity in the financial institutions fell month-on-month.
2010 2011
1 1
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb1
Coincident composite index (m-o-m, %) 0.2 -0.3 -0.3 0.2 0.8 1.4 0.3
Cyclical indicator of coincident composite index 101.1 100.4 99.6 99.5 99.8 100.8 100.6
(m-o-m, p) -0.3 -0.7 -0.8 -0.1 0.3 1.0 -0.2
Leading composite index (m-o-m, %) 0.3 0.0 -0.3 0.2 0.5 0.6 -0.2
12 month smoothed change
in leading composite index (%) 5.4 4.5 3.3 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.4
40 April 2011
13-1 Cyclical indicator of coincident composite index
Source: Statistics Korea
Economic Bulletin 41
Policy Issues
New Measures to Boost Home Transactions
The Korean government unveiled new measures to boost home transactions on March 22.
As part of the measures, the government will lower the real estate acquisition tax rate by half
and seek to remove a cap on the price of newly built houses. Meanwhile, restrictions on
debt-to-income (DTI) ratio were reintroduced as scheduled at the beginning of April.
Original measures
The Korean government announced on August 29, 2010 a temporary relaxation of DTI ratio
regulations for mortgage loans in order to stimulate the depressed housing market. The
temporary easing of the DTI ratio limit was applicable to those who do not own houses, and
when they buy houses worth less than 900 million won in a non-speculative area, along with
mortgage facilities of up to 200 million won available to first time home buyers. In addition,
people who have multiple houses would have been able to avoid the heavy transfer tax for
another two years from the end of 2010, and have benefited from the property acquisition
tax reduction for another year from the same date. The August 29 measures have helped
increase home transactions, although accompanied by rising household debt. To curb
increasing household debt and keep boosting home transactions, the government
announced another round of home transaction stimulus measures on March 22, 2011.
42 April 2011
New measures
The Korean government decided to end the temporary easing of the DTI ratio as scheduled
at the end of March and the previously-imposed limit has been reinstated starting April. The
DTI ratio is 40 percent for speculative areas, 50 percent for non-speculative areas in Seoul,
and 60 percent for Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.
The real estate acquisition tax is halved, and the new rate will be effective until the end of
2011. The acquisition tax on houses worth less than 900 million won is lowered from 2.0
percent to 1.0 percent, while houses worth more than 900 million won from 4.0 percent to
2.0 percent. In addition, individuals who own more than one house are subject to pay a
lower tax rate from 4.0 percent to 2.0 percent.
Meanwhile, the government decided to indemnify local governments against tax cut losses,
and the actual indemnity plans will be discussed in a task force team meeting.
To encourage private builders to supply more homes, the government is pursuing easing of
price ceiling on new homes as soon as possible. The related bill is pending approval in the
National Assembly.
Economic Bulletin 43
Economic
News Briefing
Korea’s real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 6.2 percent in 2010 compared with
the previous year due to increased facilities investment, robust exports of goods & services
and rising private consumption.
On the production side, manufacturing surged 14.8 percent while construction edged down
by 0.1 percent. Services rose by 3.5 percent led by rapid growth of transport & storage
services, wholesale & retail trade and health & social work.
Real gross national income (GNI) in 2010 grew 5.5 percent and per capita GNI at current
prices increased to US$20,759 from US$17,193 a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Korea decided on April 12 to keep
the key interest rate unchanged at 3.00 percent after having raised it by 25 basis points each
in January and March.
44 April 2011
<GDP by production and expenditure*> (Percentage change from previous period)
2009 2010 1 2010 1 (Original) 2 2010 1 (Seasonally adjusted) 3
Annual Annual Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
GDP 0.3 6.2 8.5 7.5 4.4 4.7 2.1 1.4 0.6 0.5
Agriculture, forestry and fishery 3.2 -4.3 0.9 -2.2 -7.3 -6.7 -3.1 -2.5 -2.5 0.2
Manufacturing -1.5 14.8 22.2 17.8 9.8 11.1 4.2 4.0 2.3 0.1
Construction 1.8 -0.1 2.2 0.8 0.9 -3.2 1.4 -0.1 -1.2 -3.2
Services 4
1.2 3.5 4.5 3.7 2.8 3.0 1.5 0.2 0.3 1.1
Private consumption 0.0 4.1 6.6 3.5 3.6 2.9 0.5 0.7 1.4 0.3
Government consumption 5.6 3.0 3.4 2.9 2.5 3.2 3.6 0.3 -0.1 -0.4
Facility investment -9.8 25.0 29.1 30.5 26.6 15.9 2.8 7.9 5.6 -1.0
Construction investment 3.4 -1.4 4.3 -2.3 -3.1 -2.9 2.0 -4.2 -0.8 -1.0
Goods exports5 -0.2 15.8 20.8 14.7 11.6 16.9 3.0 7.4 2.5 3.0
Goods imports 5
-7.8 18.2 21.6 20.4 16.0 15.5 4.8 7.1 3.6 -0.7
GNI 1.6 5.5 9.6 5.6 4.5 3.0 1.2 1.3 0.4 0.0
*At 2005 chained prices
1. Preliminary
2. Percentage changes from the same period of the previous year
3. Percentage change from the previous period
4. Wholesale & retail sales, hotels & restaurants, transportation & storage, communication services, financial & insurance services, real estate & renting, business
services, public administration, defense & social security, educational services, healthcare & social welfare services, entertainment, cultural & sports services
and other services are included.
5. FOB basis
On April 13, the Bank of Korea kept its forecast of 4.5 percent growth for 2011 as originally
projected in December 2010. GDP growth is predicted to register 4.8 percent next year. The
central bank raised its consumer inflation projection for this year to 3.9 percent from a
previous estimate of 3.5 percent, while revising the core inflation outlook slightly up from 3.1
percent to 3.3 percent. For 2012, consumer price inflation is forecast at 3.4 percent and core
inflation at 3.6 percent.
Meanwhile, on April 11, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessed that the world
economic recovery has solidified but downside risks remain due to the differences in the
recovery pace. The Washington-based agency projected that the world economy will grow by
4.4 percent and 4.5 percent in 2011 and 2012, respectively. In advanced economies, growth
is projected at 2.4 percent in 2011 and 2.6 percent in 2012 while that in emerging economies
as a whole is expected to reach 6.5 percent in both 2011 and 2012. IMF’s growth forecast for
the Korean economy remained unchanged at 4.5 percent in 2011 and 4.2 percent in 2012.
Economic Bulletin 45
Inbound FDI in Q1 posts US$2,005 million
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Korea recorded US$2,005 million in the first quarter of
2011, up 30.1 percent from US$1,541 million a year earlier. Despite overseas risk factors such
as political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and a devastating earthquake in Japan,
Korea’s FDI maintained a strong growth.
FDI from almost all regions except the Middle East and the EU increased. In contrast to a
contraction last year, US direct investment soared 1,068 percent and investment by Japan
increased 40.1 percent year-on-year.
By industry, year-on-year FDI in the manufacturing and service sector increased 20.3 percent
and 45.7 percent, respectively. FDI in the service sector spiked due to a surge in investments
in business services and retail services.
Korea had 261.2 trillion won of tax revenues in 2010, with the surplus rising to 7.8 trillion won
and annual expenditures reaching 248.7 trillion won. The revenues were 0.1 trillion won less
than those of 2009 but 5.8 trillion won more than the planned amount of 255.4 trillion won.
Korea had a fiscal deficit of 13.0 trillion won, down 1.1% compared to GDP, but a
consolidated surplus of 1.4% compared to GDP. Meanwhile, the national debt hit 373.8
trillion won, or 31.9% of GDP, posting an increase of 27.7 trillion won from the previous year
and a decrease of 20.8 trillion won from the 2010 budget. The national debt including the net
debts of local governments is estimated to reach 392.8 trillion won, or 33.5% of GDP, a 33.2
trillion won rise from the previous year.
As of the end of 2010, the government had 185.6 trillion won worth of credit, an increase of
6.2%, or 10.9 trillion won, compared to 2009. National assets recorded 315.1 trillion won, a
rise of 18.3 trillion won, or 6.2 percent from 2009, with the value of state-held securities
climbing by 10.8 trillion won and that of the government land shrinking by 0.4 trillion won.
46 April 2011
Korea’s financial regulator tightens rules for savings banks
On March 17, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) unveiled measures to tighten
supervision on savings banks. Acknowledging that many savings banks have been
vulnerable to improper practices of their largest shareholders, the FSC plans to toughen
controls on the major shareholders and hold them more accountable for the banks’ business
operations. For example, when the biggest shareholder has allegedly committed an illegal
act, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) will be able to launch an investigation, and if
found guilty of improper conduct, both the shareholder and the savings bank will be held
subject to fines.
Savings banks whose capital adequacy ratio is above 8 percent and non-performing ratio is
below 8 percent have been exempted from the lending cap applied to the rest of the savings
bank industry, which is 8 billion won per borrower. This preferential treatment, however, has
caused problems by allowing certain savings banks to engage in disproportionate
investment in high-risk assets and excessive business expansion. In order to boost the
financial health of savings banks, the FSC has decided to end this preferential treatment
while raising the lending cap from 8 billion won per borrower to 10 billion won.
In response to claims that investors suffer from lack of transparency in accounting and
contracts made based on incomplete information, the FSC will strengthen market disciplines
and limit the issuance of subordinated bonds. Finally, the FCS plans to tighten surveillance
over savings banks in risk of insolvency. The FSC will work closely with related government
agencies to seek civil and criminal charges against savings banks’ major shareholders and
management if they were to be found responsible for any business failure and misconduct.
On April 5, Korea’s National Assembly passed the Partial Amendment Law to the Foreign
Exchange Transactions Act. Previously, the Korean government proposed the Macro-prudential
Stability measures on December 19, 2010 in an effort to deal with a surge of capital inflows and
Korea’s exposure to global financial market turbulence.
The amendment shall come into force from August 1, 2011. Non-deposit foreign currency
liabilities at all commercial banks and state-run banks such as Korea Development Bank,
Export-Import Bank of Korea, Industrial Bank of Korea, National Agricultural Cooperative
Federation, National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative and Korea Finance Cooperation are
subject to the measures. Those banks will be charged 20 basis points on their foreign liabilities
that mature in less than a year, 10 basis points for 1-3 year liabilities, 5 basis points for 3-5 year
liabilities, and 2 basis points for more than 5 year liabilities.
Economic Bulletin 47
Korea’s self-sufficiency in key minerals rises to 27 percent
Korea’s self-sufficiency rate in key mineral resources rose in 2010 from a year earlier on
greater output from overseas mines owned by local companies, said the Ministry of
Knowledge Economy. According to the ministry, the rate for the six key minerals came to 27
percent of demand last year, up from 25.1 percent a year earlier. In addition, the self-
sufficiency rate for rare earth elements reached 8.5 percent of demand in 2010, higher than
the 5.5 percent target for the year.
Meanwhile, Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) signed a US$1.55 billion deal with
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to secure 23.67 percent of the stake in the Maverick Basin
assets in Texas. The shale oil assets in Texas hold the equivalent of 491 million barrels of oil
and are producing 28,000 barrels a day. In a separate deal, Korea acquired 95 percent of
Altius Holdings, which owns four oil blocks in Kazakhstan with reserves totaling 56.9 million
barrels. The two acquisitions may boost KNOC’s output by 16,500 barrels a day.
The Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced on March 29 that it has agreed to conduct
joint consultations with five multilateral development banks (MDBs) as part of its Knowledge
Sharing Program (KSP). The joint consulting with the MDBs - the World Bank (WB), Asian
Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and African Development Bank (AfDB) - expands
the existing bilateral KSP to include a third party.
The joint consultation system will help boost the effectiveness of KSP projects by combining
the MDBs’ specialization in their respective regions with Korea’s unique experience in
economic development. The KSP, which was established in 2004 to share Korea’s economic
development experience with the developing countries, has conducted about 200 consulting
projects in 22 countries.
Meanwhile, Korea spent US$ 1.17 billion on official development assistance (ODA) in 2010,
up 25.7 percent from the previous year. This is the second highest increase rate among DAC
member countries after Portugal, which posted a 31.5 percent increase last year.
48 April 2011
Korea to host Inter-American Development Bank annual meeting in 2015
Korea has been selected to host the 56th annual meeting of the Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB) in 2015, an opportunity that the government expects will boost economic
cooperation between Korea and Latin America. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance
announced on March 29 that the decision was made unanimously at the 52nd round of the
IDB annual meeting that ended on March 28 in Canada. The IDB was established in 1959 to
promote economic and social development in Latin America, and Korea has been a member
of the bank since March 2005.
Economic Bulletin 49
Statistical
Appendices
Tables & Figures
1. National accounts
2. Production, shipment and inventory
3. Production capacity and operation ratio
4. Consumer goods sales index
5. Consumer goods shipment index and consumer sentiment index
6. Machinery orders received, domestic machinery shipment,
and estimated facility investment index
7. Value of construction completion and domestic construction orders received
8. Composite indices of business cycle indicators and BSI
9. Balance of payments (I)
10. Balance of payments (II)
11. Prices
12. Employment
13. Financial indicators
14. Monetary indicators
15. Exchange rates
Economic Bulletin 51
1. National accounts
(year-on-year change, %, chained 2005 year prices)
52 April 2011
Growth rate by economic activity
Economic Bulletin 53
2. Production, shipment and inventory See graphs 6-1, 6-3, 7-1, 7-2 & 7-3
(constant prices, 2005 = 100)
Service
Production Shipment Inventory
Period Y-o-Y Y-o-Y Y-o-Y production Y-o-Y
index index index
change (%) change (%) change (%) index change (%)
54 April 2011
3. Production capacity and operation ratio See graph 6-2
Economic Bulletin 55
4. Consumer goods sales index See graphs 2-2, 2-3, 2-4 & 2-5
(constant prices, 2005 = 100)
Consumer
goods
Period Durable Semi-durable Non-durable
sales
Y-o-Y goods Y-o-Y goods Y-o-Y goods Y-o-Y
index
change (%) change (%) change (%) change (%)
56 April 2011
5. Consumer goods shipment index and consumer sentiment index
See graph 2-6
Domestic consumer
goods shipment index Consumer
Period (2005=100) Durable Non-durable sentiment index
Y-o-Y goods Y-o-Y goods Y-o-Y
change (%) change (%) change (%)
Economic Bulletin 57
6. Machinery orders received, domestic machinery shipment
and estimated facility investment index See graph 3-2
Domestic machinery orders received Domestic
Estimated
excluding ship (billion won, constant prices) machinery
facility investment
Period shipment
index
excluding ship
Total Public Private (2005=100)
Manufacturing (2005=100)
58 April 2011
7. Value of construction completion and domestic construction
orders received See graphs 4-2 & 4-3
(current prices, billion won)
Economic Bulletin 59
8. Composite indices of business cycle indicators and BSI
See graphs 13-1, 13-2 & 13-3
Cycle of
Leading Coincident
coincident
Period index Y-o-Y index BSI (results) BSI (prospects)
index
(2005=100) change (%) (2005=100)
(2005=100)
60 April 2011
9. Balance of payments (I) See graphs 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 10-1 & 10-2
(million US$)
Economic Bulletin 61
10. Balance of payments (II) See graph 10-3
(million US$)
62 April 2011
11. Prices See graphs 11-1, 11-2 & 11-3
(2005 = 100)
Producer prices
Consumer prices Export & import prices
(2005=100)
Period
All Items Commodity Service Core All items Commodity Export Import
Economic Bulletin 63
12. Employment See graphs 8-1, 8-2 & 8-3
2009 1 23,709 22,861 3,895 17,663 3.6 16,053 9,102 4,982 1,969
2 23,667 22,742 3,842 17,539 3.9 15,953 9,194 4,862 1,897
3 24,062 23,110 3,813 17,701 4.0 16,076 9,174 4,941 1,961
4 24,456 23,524 3,846 17,899 3.8 16,353 9,227 5,051 2,076
5 24,658 23,720 3,846 18,016 3.8 16,484 9,316 5,076 2,092
6 24,927 23,967 3,836 18,251 3.9 16,736 9,340 5,281 2,115
7 24,756 23,828 3,802 18,210 3.7 16,589 9,383 5,255 1,952
8 24,525 23,620 3,761 18,048 3.7 16,479 9,472 5,117 1,890
9 24,630 23,805 3,810 18,155 3.4 16,687 9,606 5,151 1,931
10 24,655 23,856 3,858 18,130 3.2 16,690 9,628 5,170 1,892
11 24,625 23,806 3,855 18,267 3.3 16,790 9,603 5,256 1,931
12 24,063 23,229 3,872 18,104 3.5 16,555 9,632 5,074 4,860
2010 1 24,082 22,865 3,924 17,796 5.0 16,297 9,712 4,860 1,725
2 24,035 22,867 3,886 17,762 4.9 16,282 9,786 4,838 1,657
3 24,382 23,377 3,924 18,047 4.1 16,617 9,926 4,976 1,714
4 24,858 23,924 3,991 18,285 3.8 16,994 10,011 5,147 1,836
5 25,099 24,306 4,036 18,499 3.2 17,255 10,078 5,223 1,953
6 25,158 24,280 4,017 18,422 3.5 17,193 10,089 5,165 1,938
7 25,232 24,301 4,040 18,489 3.7 17,228 10,107 5,215 1,905
8 24,863 24,005 4,058 18,175 3.3 17,048 10,151 5,122 1,775
9 24,911 24,054 4,062 18,216 3.4 17,103 10,217 5,106 1,780
10 25,004 24,172 4,098 18,264 3.3 17,178 10,280 5,089 1,809
11 24,847 24,109 4,139 18,340 3.0 17,300 10,334 5,069 1,898
12 24,538 23,684 4,156 18,272 3.5 17,154 10,347 4,999 1,808
2011 1 24,114 23,196 4,148 18,007 3.8 16,832 10,305 4,848 1,680
2 24,431 23,336 4,149 18,019 4.5 16,856 10,390 4,781 1,684
Y-o-Y change (%)
2009 0.2 -0.3 -3.2 0.5 - 1.5 4.3 0.4 -7.4
2010 1.5 1.4 5.0 1.2 - 3.1 7.4 -0.7 -7.4
64 April 2011
13. Financial indicators See graphs 9-1 & 9-4
(period average)
Economic Bulletin 65
14. Monetary indicators See graph 9-5
(period average) (billion won)
66 April 2011
15. Exchange rates See graphs 9-2 & 9-3
Economic Bulletin 67
Editor-in-Chief
Bang, Moon-Kyu (MOSF)
Editorial Board
Kim, Young-Min (MOSF)
Shim, Jae-Hak (KDI)
Lee, In-Sook (KDI)
Coordinators
Kim, Dae-Hyun (MOSF)
Cho, Hyun-Joo (KDI)
Editors
Cho, Eun-Hyung (MOSF)
Eli Horn (MOSF)
Lee, Ji-Youn (KDI)
Ministry of Labor
http://english.molab.go.kr/english
Statistics Korea
http://kostat.go.kr