Finance minister says economy maintains solid fundamentals amid crisis

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Friday that South Korea's economy continues to maintain solid fundamentals despite the Middle East crisis. He pledged the government will keep an emergency posture until uncertainties subside.

Koo made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of economy-related ministers at the Government Complex Seoul. He cited data showing the country posted its largest-ever monthly current account surplus in March, totaling $37.33 billion. Exports also exceeded $80 billion for the second consecutive month in April.

"Our economy maintains solid fundamentals even amid the crisis caused by the Middle East war," Koo said. He noted however that economic burdens are increasing amid continued rises in oil prices and supply chain disruptions.

The government froze the price ceilings on fuel products for the third consecutive time. This means the current pricing cap will be maintained for two more weeks. Koo added that the government will firmly hold onto the helm of the economy until all uncertainties have subsided.

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Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol at a podium with screens showing volatile exchange rates in the background.
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Finance Minister signals extra vigilance on foreign exchange volatility

Rapporté par l'IA Image générée par IA

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Friday the government is taking extra vigilance over recent volatility in the foreign exchange market.

Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Monday that temporary price caps on fuel products will remain in place for some time due to instability in the Middle East.

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South Korea's Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Thursday that volatility in financial and foreign exchange markets has "somewhat eased" following a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a suspension of strikes on Iran, which led South Korean stocks to surge nearly 7 percent on Wednesday and the Korean won to strengthen sharply against the U.S. dollar. The government pledged to remain vigilant in maintaining macroeconomic stability.

South Korea's government is prioritizing the stable supply of health care products, daily necessities, and key raw materials like naphtha amid shortage concerns from the Middle East crisis. Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol emphasized this during an economy ministers' meeting on Friday. The government designated seven basic petrochemical products as crisis items on Wednesday.

Rapporté par l'IA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) kept its 2026 growth forecast for South Korea unchanged at 1.9 percent despite the Middle East crisis. The institution raised its inflation outlook for this year by 0.7 percentage point to 2.5 percent, citing rising global oil prices. The Ministry of Economy and Finance said strong exports and effects from a supplementary budget kept the growth outlook steady.

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday instructed officials to take prompt action to stabilize consumer prices amid ongoing pressures from the Middle East conflict.

Rapporté par l'IA

Statistics Korea reported on May 29 that industrial output fell 0.6 percent in April from March, with retail sales and facility investment also dropping 3.6 percent each.

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