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Business sentiment improves for third consecutive month in May, BOK survey finds

Published: 28 May. 2025, 09:26 Updated: 28 May. 2025, 13:04

A render of Hyundai Motor's Global Business Complex project in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, which includes three 54-story skyscrapers and a 1.4-hectare forest. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Korea's business sentiment improved for the third straight month in May amid eased uncertainty at home and abroad, a central bank poll showed Wednesday.

The Composite Business Sentiment Index (CBSI) for all industries came to 90.7 in May, up 2.8 points from the previous month, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It marked the first time since November that the index stayed above the long-term average of about 90.

The CBSI among manufacturers climbed 1.6 points from a month earlier to 94.7 in May, and that among nonmanufacturers went up 3.6 points to 88.1.

The index measures corporate prospects for business conditions. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

Business sentiment had deteriorated since late last year, hitting the lowest level in about 4.5 years of 85.3 in February, due mainly to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law and uncertainty triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariff scheme.

Following the martial law imposition, Yoon was impeached in late December and formally removed from office in April, setting the stage for the presidential election scheduled to take place next Tuesday.

Another key factor that led to the improvement in business sentiment was the United States' announcement made in April to pause the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on trade partners, including a 25 percent duty on Korean imports.

Negotiations are underway between Korea and the United States on the tariff scheme, as the two sides have agreed to pursue a "July package" deal addressing trade and related issues, aiming to reach an agreement before July 8, when Trump's 90-day suspension of the tariffs is to expire.

The outlook for May also added 3.2 points to 89.5, the survey showed.

The poll, conducted earlier this month, involved 3,297 companies, including 1,852 manufacturing firms, the BOK said.

Yonhap