South Korea has become a global economic winner as its makers of chips, ships and tanks reap the benefits of a race for AI supremacy and a wave of rearmament.
Boom times for strategic sectors including semiconductors and defence manufacturing are rippling through the economy, which grew 3.6 per cent in the first quarter on a year earlier, up from 1.6 per cent growth in the fourth quarter. Exports surged 38 per cent, to a record $220bn.
“Several sectors of the economy are in a sweet spot right now,” said Michael Breen, chief executive of Insight Communications in Seoul, despite the economy’s reliance on imported energy and challenges such as the high cost of living and youth unemployment. “The engine of growth is still very much running.”
您已阅读13%（745字），剩余87%（5178字）包含更多重要信息，订阅以继续探索完整内容，并享受更多专属服务。