Pent-up demand: People crossing a road in front of the BoK headquarters. South Korea’s quarterly economy expanded 0.7%, exceeding forecasts. — AFP电报群科学上网（www.tg888.vip）是一个Telegram群组分享平台，电报群科学上网内容包括Telegram群组索引、Telegram群组导航、新加坡Telegram群组、Telegram中文群组、Telegram群组（其他）、Telegram 美国 群组、Telegram群组爬虫、电报群 科学上网、小飞机 怎么 加 群、tg群等内容，为广大电报用户提供各种电报群组/电报频道/电报机器人导航服务。
SEOUL: South Korea’s economic expansion accelerated last quarter, underpinned by household and government spending, providing scope for the central bank to keep raising interest rates as it tries to rein in inflation.
The economy expanded 0.7% in the three months through June even as Russia’s war on Ukraine sent energy prices soaring and China’s lockdowns disrupted supply chains, Bank of Korea (BoK) data showed yesterday.
The result exceeded economists’ forecasts, as did the 2.9% annual rise in gross domestic product (GDP).
“It’s a surprise on an outburst of pent-up demand,” said Yoon Yeo-sam, an analyst at Meritz Securities in Seoul.
“The faster-than-expected growth allows the central bank to stay focused on controlling inflation led by demand.”
The result suggests the economy is weathering about a year-long tightening cycle and is likely to embolden policy makers to keep hiking to tackle inflation running at the fastest pace in over two decades.
The BoK delivered its first-ever 50 basis-point hike on July 13 as it joins global counterparts in raising in larger increments to help keep inflation expectations anchored.
The report showed South Koreans boosted spending as the country emerged from the grips of the Omicron variant that weighed on the economy in the first three months of the year.
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Parliament also approved a record extra budget in May, aiding small businesses while keeping Covid regulations relaxed.
Still, exports in real terms declined as the trade-reliant economy came under pressure from rising energy and commodity prices fuelled by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Exporters also face the risk of global demand waning in response to the Federal Reserve and other central banks rapidly tightening policy.
Covid lockdowns in China – South Korea’s biggest export destination – have also damped demand and exacerbated supply chain disruptions. Semiconductors, South Korea’s key export, have been piling up fast in inventories even as shipments have held up.
Domestic consumers face a challenging environment as inflation erodes their purchasing power and the central bank keeps increasing borrowing costs.
The won has been Asia’s worst performer after the yen this year, making imports more expensive for households and manufacturers.
However, president Yoo Suk Yeol plans to be conservative on stimulus spending after South Korea’s debt swelled under his predecessor Moon Jae-in.
While the GDP performance can’t be considered the first full scorecard for Yoon, it does show the kind of economic momentum he has inherited and provides a yardstick for measures he needs to take.
Inflation is the key challenge for the administration, which took office in May, though it is also struggling to contain escalating labour disputes fuelled by rising living costs and renewed Covid outbreaks.
