South Korea’s consumer sentiment rises in February but data masks bigger dangers



Briefings South Korea’s consumer sentiment rises in February but data masks bigger dangers Despite rebound from December’s lows, weak job growth, inflation risks and external threats keep South Koreans cautious KOREA PROFebruary 21, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON An illustration of concerned South Korean consumers \| Image: Korea Pro 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 © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 02South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 03AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 04South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 05Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement 06Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility 07US midterm clock raises stakes for South Korea’s $200 billion investment talks 08Lee’s Hormuz red line tests South Korea’s leverage in $350 billion US talks

Briefings

South Korea’s consumer sentiment rises in February but data masks bigger dangers

Despite rebound from December’s lows, weak job growth, inflation risks and external threats keep South Koreans cautious

KOREA PROFebruary 21, 2025

South Korea’s consumer sentiment rises in February but data masks bigger dangers

An illustration of concerned South Korean consumers | Image: Korea Pro

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

LATEST ANALYSIS

01North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy
02South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus
03AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline
04South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics
05Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement
06Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility
07US midterm clock raises stakes for South Korea’s $200 billion investment talks
08Lee’s Hormuz red line tests South Korea’s leverage in $350 billion US talks

South Korea’s consumer sentiment rises in February but data masks bigger dangers

LATEST ANALYSIS

Similar Articles

About the Author

KOREA PRO