In March, industrial production, facilities investment, and retail sales increased, while construction investment decreased. In April, the increase in the number of employed persons slowed, while consumer prices accelerated on a month-on-month basis.

In March, total industrial production rose (up 0.3% m-o-m and up 3.5% y-o-y), as gains in the industrial sector (up 0.3% and up 3.6%) and services sector (up 1.4% and up 5.1%) outweighed a decline in construction (down 7.3% and down 5.4%).

The cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index for March went up by 0.5 points and the cyclical indicator of the leading composite index increased by 0.7 points.

In March, facilities investment moved up (up 1.5% m-o-m and up 9.2% y-o-y) and retail sales increased (up 1.8% and up 5.0%).

In April, the consumer sentiment index (CSI) went down by 7.8 points month-on-month to 99.2. The composite business sentiment index (CBSI) grew by 0.8 points to 94.9 and the CBSI outlook for May increased by 0.8 points to 93.9.

In April, exports climbed by 48.0% year-on-year, supported by expanded exports of semiconductor, computers, and ships. Average daily exports rose by 48.0% in April compared to the same month of last year.

In April, the number of employed persons grew by 74,000 from a year earlier, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.9%.

The year-on-year consumer price index (CPI) climbed by 2.6 percent, up from 2.2 percent in April, while the index excluding food and energy rose by 2.2 percent, the index excluding agricultural products and petroleum products rose by 2.2 percent, and the CPI for living necessities increased by 2.9%.

In April, stock prices rose, Korean Treasury Bond yields increased, and the Korean won strengthened.

In April, both housing prices (up 0.16%, m-o-m) and Jeonse (lump-sum deposits with no monthly payments) prices (up 0.31%, m-o-m) continued to climb.

Recently, the Korean economy has maintained its recovery momentum, with growth expanding significantly in the first quarter; however, downside risks to the economy persist due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Exports, led by semiconductors, have remained strong, and domestic demand, including consumption, had continued to improve. However, the Middle East conflict has weighed on consumer sentiment, raising concerns about higher inflation driven by rising global oil prices and increasing burdens on households.

The global economy has maintained a moderate growth trend; 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 will maintain an emergency economic response framework, while swiftly implementing the supplementary budget including support payments for damages caused by high oil prices and making every effort to stabilize livelihoods through supply-demand management of key items and price stabilization measures.

■ 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. Meeting with Financial Institutions on FX Market Reforms
　 2. Deputy Prime Minister Hosts Korea Economic Investor Relations Session in London, a Global Financial Hub
　 3. Opening a New Chapter for the Korean Economy through Pragmatism and Tangible Results