The government raised this year's economic growth forecast by 1 percentage point from 2% to 3%, but lowered the increase in employment by 10,000 to 150,000. Although the Korean economy has gained momentum for qualitative growth thanks to the semiconductor boom, it is facing ‘jobless growth.’ To resolve these problems, the government decided to strengthen growth engines centered on local regions and prepare measures to alleviate youth employment difficulties. The government made this forecast by announcing its economic growth strategy for the second half of 2026 at a cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on the 14th. As semiconductor exports increase rapidly this year, real gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to increase by 3.0% compared to last year. According to the government's prediction, it will record the highest growth rate since 2021 (4.7%), when there was a base effect due to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) incident. Current GDP, which also reflects the inflation rate, is expected to increase by 12.3% from a year ago, showing the highest figure since 1996 (12.3%). Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Koo Yun-cheol said, “(This year)