On July 12, 2026, South Korean media outlet Channel A reported that Kim Yong-beom, Policy Chief of the South Korean Presidential Office, expressed the view regarding signs of a recovery in South Korea's economic growth rate that "it should be understood not merely as an economic recovery, but as an initial stage indicating the possibility of a fundamental shift in the long-term growth trend itself."

According to the article, Kim stated on his SNS, "South Korea can become the first country to break away from the path of being a nation that has most faithfully followed in Japan's footsteps," and cited as conditions for this, the simultaneous advancement of a production revolution through AI and capital market reform, strengthening competitiveness as a core hub in the supply chain, and increased production capacity through the three major mega-projects (semiconductors, physical AI, and data centers) that the South Korean government is investing 4,755 trillion won (approximately 512 trillion yen) to promote.

He also stated, "The moment when a country's growth laws change, and the very criteria by which the market views that country's future transform, happens once every 10 or 20 years, if at all," and emphasized, "There is a strong possibility that when we look back, 2025 will be remembered as the year when the long-term growth trend of the South Korean economy began to shift."

Furthermore, Kim stated, "A country that has been considered a representative example of low growth in East Asia is now beginning to be evaluated as a country with the most robust growth potential among developed nations," and analyzed, "This is not merely an economic recovery; the market is redrawing the long-term growth trend line for the South Korean economy."

He then added, "Now, an economic growth rate in the high 2% range is being discussed as a realistic outlook, and discussions have begun that a recovery to a potential growth rate of 3%, long considered unrealistic, is by no means an unattainable goal."

Regarding this, South Korean netizens commented: "Groundless confidence," "There's no way the public can feel hope and think 'Oh, really?' with comments like this," "Such statements from government officials are always just talk," "He hasn't contributed anything to the growth of semiconductors himself, so why post something like this on SNS?" and "First, I wish they'd do something about prices."

Also, comments like, "It seems they're intoxicated by the semiconductor boom accompanying the AI boom and the resulting economic growth, leading to an overly optimistic view of everything," "The government can do nothing without Samsung and Hynix, yet they act so important," "Only semiconductors are doing well; other industries are struggling due to the recession," and "I still want them to do something about the high real estate prices" were also seen. (Translation/Editing by Higuchi)