Trend Korea combines solid macro aggregates with widening sectoral asymmetry

Summary

Since 2025 Korea's headline macro indicators have held up better than those of other energy importers and emerging economies. The report attributes this mainly to higher unit prices for Korea's flagship exports linked to the global AI investment boom. It argues that the global pattern of overlapping shocks and narrowing exits is reproduced in Korea as a dual structure in which robust aggregates coexist with deepening asymmetry between sectors. That asymmetry, rather than the aggregate numbers, is identified as the core challenge Korea faces. The report therefore calls for strengthening the capacity to absorb external shocks that combine energy, trade and financial conditions, rather than preparing only for a single cyclical downturn.