SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's economy grew 1 percent in 2025, but slipped into negative quarter-on-quarter growth in the fourth quarter, central bank data showed Thursday.
The country's real gross domestic product (GDP), a key gauge of economic performance, expanded 1 percent last year, in line with the Bank of Korea's (BOK) previous forecast, according to preliminary data released by the central bank. The growth rate, however, slowed from a 2 percent increase recorded a year earlier.
In the fourth quarter, South Korea's economy contracted 0.3 percent from the previous quarter, marking its first quarterly contraction in six months and the weakest performance since the fourth quarter of 2022.
The economy had earlier shrunk 0.2 percent in the first quarter, as a domestic political crisis triggered by then-President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law, coupled with uncertainties arising from U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff measures, reported by Yonhap News Agency.
The economy rebounded in the second and third quarters, posting quarter-on-quarter growth of 0.7 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively. ■
