experts, ordinary people take different view of economy: survey

SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- The majority of economic experts in South Korea see
the nation's economy turning upwards, but the general population is starkly more
pessimistic, a survey showed Thursday, underlining a wide gap in sentiment.

According to the survey, jointly conducted by the finance ministry and the Korea
Development Institute, a state-run think tank, 64.3 percent of experts --
professors, businesspeople and researchers -- said the economy is moving toward a
recovery path. Just 1.5 percent of those polled said it is making a full
recovery.
In contrast, 61.1 percent of ordinary people think Asia's fourth-largest economy
is still in a gloomy state, while just 34.2 percent view the economy as
recovering.
The conflicting results reveal a large gap in perception over how the economy is
performing in the wake of a steep downturn, caused by the financial crisis and
resulting global recession last year.
Indicators show fast improvement in the economy, leading the government and many
think tanks to strike an upbeat tone. But the general population still seems to
be feeling the pinch of the worst-ever downturn in their daily lives, experts
say.
Job creation was cited as the top priority for the government next year, with
48.3 percent of experts and 72.6 percent of ordinary people saying there is a
need for such efforts, according to the survey.
On an exit strategy aimed at normalizing stimulus measures introduced to prop up
sluggish economy, both groups agreed the government should maintain its
expansionary policy stance "for the time being," the survey showed.
The survey was conducted as the government prepared for its annual economic
management plan.
A total of 325 experts and 1,502 ordinary people group participated in the poll
carried out in November. The government expects the economy will grow 0.2 percent
this year before expanding 5 percent next year.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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