In the aftermath of the emergency martial law...Government's "Slowing Employment, Increasing Downward Pressure on the Economy"

[Anchor]
The government has diagnosed the first game this year.

Employment has slowed and downward economic pressure has increased due to the impact of martial law.

It is feared that the overall difficulties in the economy will grow, with sluggish construction investment and retail sales expected to be prolonged and exports expected to be sharply negative this month.

Reporter Oh In-seok on the report.

[Reporter]
The government released a report on economic trends in January, and various economic indicators were evaluated as gray due to the aftermath of martial law.

The slowdown in employment was particularly noticeable.

Last month, when the December 3 emergency martial law occurred, the number of employed fell by 52,000, the first backpedaling in three years and 10 months.Employment in the

construction industry fell by 157,000, while manufacturing and wholesale and retail businesses fell by nearly 100,000 each.

Employment, a representative indicator, has been directly hit by the prolonged slump in domestic demand.

The government is worried that the number of employed people will also likely deteriorate in January-February this year, given the recent economic slowdown and base effects.

[Choi Sang-mok / Acting President (last 15th): The future employment conditions are not easy due to the delay in the recovery of domestic demand such as construction, intensifying competition in major industries, and expanding the decline in the working-age population.]

The government assessed that the Korean economy is under increasing downward pressure due to weak economic sentiment due to increased uncertainties at home and abroad.

Domestic demand, which has been suffering from a long-term slump, is in an atmosphere of heightened crisis due to political instability.

Last month, the consumer sentiment index fell sharply, and the small business sentiment index also plunged.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea also reached 262,000 last month, down more than 100,000 from a month ago.

As consumer sentiment froze after the martial law crisis, the disappearance of specials at the end of the year seems to have affected it.

Exports this month are also expected to fall sharply from the same month last year as the number of working days is reduced due to the Lunar New Year holiday.

The government diagnosed that the global economy is experiencing growing uncertainties, including the possibility of changes in the trade environment.

As a result, the government said it will manage the economy as stably as possible by speeding up the direction of economic policy.

This is YTN Oh In-seok.

Reporter for shooting
: Jung Chul-woo
Video editing:Jung Kook-yoon
Design: Lee Wonhee