{
  "id": 15531287,
  "title": "Korea's growth could exceed IMF projection: finance minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/koreas-growth-could-exceed-imf-projection-finance-minister",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T01:17:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/20261019/koreas-growth-could-exceed-imf-projection-finance-minister"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bangkok — South Korea's economic growth may surpass projections by international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the finance minister has indicated, citing strong export figures and infrastructure investment data. Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il conveyed this optimistic outlook during a press conference in Bangkok on Friday, following his attendance at the IMF and World Bank Group's Annual Meetings in the Thai capital last week. This marked Lee's inaugural appearance at such a significant global gathering since assuming office last month.\n\nLee's comments were in response to the IMF's recent forecast, which now predicts South Korea's economy to expand by 3.3 percent in 2023, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from its July prediction due to the ongoing global semiconductor boom. \"I believe exports and facility investment remained robust in the third quarter,\" Lee stated. \"If this trend continues, we think growth could exceed the 3.3 percent projected by the IMF,\" he added.\n\nLee further suggested that growth rates could potentially extend into the mid-3 percent range, assuming there are no new external events that significantly disrupt the economy.",
  "summary": "BANGKOK — Korea's economic growth could exceed projections by international organizations, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), barring unexpected external shocks, the finance minister has said, citing robust exports and facility investment data. Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il made the assessment during a meeting with reporters in Bangkok on Friday. He visited Thailand to attend the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "S. Korea's growth could exceed IMF projection: finance minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/s-koreas-growth-could-exceed-imf-projection-finance-minister",
        "published": "2026-10-19T01:00:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Korea's growth could exceed IMF projection: finance minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/koreas-growth-could-exceed-imf-projection-finance-minister-15534907",
        "published": "2026-10-19T01:42:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}