South Korea’s consumer sentiment index rose to 95.2 in February, up 4.0 points from the previous month, according to data released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Thursday. The improvement follows a sharp drop in December, when consumer confidence fell to 88.2 amid heightened political uncertainty following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration.

The survey, conducted from Feb. 6 to 13, showed modest gains in household income and spending expectations, while inflation expectations declined slightly to 2.7% for the next year, down 0.1 percentage points from January. However, the index remains below the long-term average of 100, indicating that consumers remain pessimistic about economic conditions compared to historical trends. Sentiment on job opportunities, interest rates and real estate prices remained fragile, with the housing price expectation index falling to 99, its lowest level in months.