South Korea's economy barely grew in the fourth quarter of 2024, as the country's worst political crisis in decades hurts already weakened domestic demand and threatens to further sap growth in a year of rising external risks under a second Trump presidency.

War, weak growth, and policy uncertainty around Trump’s return already threaten the Korean economy. An extended political crisis will make things worse.

The South Korean economy posted weaker-than-expected growth last year amid slowing export growth, sagging domestic demand and a political crisis, central bank data showed Thursday. The economic expansion in the fourth quarter also came far below the earlier forecast by the Bank of