South Korea's economy barely grew in the fourth quarter of 2024, as the country's worst political crisis in decades hurts already weakened domestic demand and threatens to further sap growth in a year of rising external risks under a second Trump presidency.

Political turmoil over impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, who failed a martial law attempt in December, and sluggish domestic demand weighed on Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

South Korea’s economy continued to sputter last quarter, after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law battered consumer confidence at a time when export growth is slowing.