S. Korea's state-run think tank leaves 2025 growth outlook unchanged at 0.8 pct

SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's state-run think tank on Tuesday left its 2025 growth outlook for the Asian economy unchanged at 0.8 percent, reflecting the faltering construction industry.

Real gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, was forecast to rise 0.8 percent in 2025, according to the Korea Development Institute (KDI).

It was unchanged from estimates unveiled three months earlier. The real GDP was projected to grow 1.6 percent in 2026.

The still low growth forecast was attributable to the sluggish construction industry and the worsened trade conditions, affected by the U.S. tariff imposition.

Construction investment was expected to tumble 8.1 percent this year, down 3.9 percentage points compared with estimates announced three months earlier.

In terms of volume, export for goods was predicted to gain 1.2 percent this year after expanding 6.4 percent in the previous year.

Outlook for private consumption and facility investment was revised up by 0.2 percentage points and 0.1 percentage points each for 2025.

Current account surplus was forecast to reach 106.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2025 and 91.2 billion dollars in 2026.

Outlook for the consumer price inflation was set at 2.0 percent for 2025 and 1.8 percent for 2026.

The number of jobs was expected to grow 150,000 this year and 110,000 next year.■