South Korean media: Lee Jae-myung: The US military relocates air defense weapons from South Korea, opposing but difficult to implement. South Korea's per capita GNI growth rate is only 0.3% under high exchange rates... overtaken by Japan and Taiwan

¬ Hosted a State Council meeting: National defense is completely not a situation that needs to be concerned about

On the 10th, President Lee Jae-myung expressed his views on the U.S. military's relocation of part of its air defense weapons overseas due to the Middle East situation: "Although we raised objections, it is an undeniable fact that our position cannot be fully implemented."

On the same day, President Lee Jae-myung hosted a State Council meeting at Cheong Wa Dae and said, "From the perspective of the South Korean government, we expect the role of the U.S. military in South Korea to be entirely contributing to the stability and peace of the Korean Peninsula, and I also believe that this has always been the case."

President Lee Jae-myung stated, "However, as the situation develops, the U.S. military has relocated part of its air defense weapons for its own military needs, and we have raised objections to this," but he also admitted, "it is an undeniable fact that we cannot fully implement our position."

He also said, "If you ask whether this will hinder South Korea's deterrence strategy against North Korea, I can say that it will not at all," "Given the level of South Korea's defense budget sharing, the development of its defense industry, and its global military ranking, there is absolutely no need to worry about national defense."

In other words, from the perspective of South Korea's defense capabilities, the relocation of some resources by the U.S. military overseas will not lead to a gap in the deterrent strategy against North Korea. President Lee Jae-myung said, "Although there is the special factor of North Korea's nuclear issue, looking at conventional combat power and military strength, South Korea obviously has an overwhelming advantage."

¬ Bank of Korea released preliminary values for the fourth quarter and annual national income, with per capita GNI in 2025 at $36,855, lower than South Korea's previous years, and rankings may drop from 6th to 8th

On the 10th, the Bank of Korea announced data stating that South Korea's per capita gross national income (GNI) in 2025 was $36,855, an increase of only 0.3% year-on-year. Due to the prolonged high exchange rate of the South Korean won against the U.S. dollar, the increase based on the U.S. dollar was less than 1%. This is the smallest increase since the GNI declined by 7.0% in 2022. In 2023 and 2024, the per capita GNI based on the U.S. dollar increased by 2.7% and 1.5%, respectively. The average exchange rate in 2025 was 1,428.0 South Korean won (approximately 6.68 RMB), which is a historical high.

In 2023 and 2024, South Korea's per capita GNI led Japan and Taiwan for two consecutive years, but in 2025, it was surpassed by both Japan and Taiwan. According to the Bank of Korea, based on the current provisional values, Japan's per capita GNI in 2025 was approximately $38,000, and Taiwan's was $40,585, both exceeding South Korea. In the 2024 rankings of per capita GNI among countries with a population over 50 million according to the United Nations, South Korea ranked 6th, but in 2025, both Japan and Taiwan had higher figures than South Korea, and the ranking is likely to drop below 8th.

However, based on the South Korean won, South Korea's per capita GNI was 52,416,000 South Korean won (approximately 245,000 RMB), an increase of 4.6% year-on-year. Although it has grown for four consecutive years since 2022, the growth rate slowed down compared to 6.1% in 2024. The total GNI based on the South Korean won was 27,091,000 billion South Korean won (approximately 126.7 billion RMB), an increase of 4.4% year-on-year.

GNI refers to the concept of adding the country's gross domestic product (GDP) to the income of its citizens abroad, and subtracting the income spent overseas, and is considered an indicator reflecting the "standard of living" of the people. In 2023, South Korea's per capita GNI exceeded $36,000, and for three consecutive years, it failed to break through $37,000. Additionally, after breaking through the $30,000 mark in 2014, it has remained below the $40,000 threshold for 12 consecutive years. Regarding this, Kim Ha-ryong, head of the national income department at the Bank of Korea, said, "According to growth rate expectations, South Korea's per capita GNI is expected to exceed $40,000 around 2027, but there are still variables such as exchange rates."

Additionally, the preliminary value of South Korea's economic growth rate (GDP growth rate) in 2025 was 1.0%, the same as the initial estimate in January. This is the lowest value since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, when rounded to two decimal places, the initial estimate was 0.97%, and the final estimate was 1.01%, slightly increased. In the fourth quarter of 2025, GDP grew by 1.6% year-on-year, but decreased by 0.2% compared to the previous quarter.

Source: Chosun Ilbo

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859293551122444/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.