S Korean think tank cuts 2012 growth outlook to 2.5 percent

South Korea's economic growth will slow to 2.5 percent this year, a state-run think tank said Monday, sharply reducing its earlier projection. The country's state-run Korea Development Institute (KDI) lowered its 2012 growth outlook to 2.5 percent from a previous estimate of 3.6 percent. The figure was sharply lower than 3.0 percent and 3.3 percent estimated by the central bank and the finance ministry. The Bank of Korea will announce in October its revised growth outlook that was widely expected to fall to the 2 percent range. The KDI warned that both exports and domestic demand in the country will grow at a much slower pace than earlier due to growing uncertainties over the global economy such as the euro- area fiscal crisis. The state-run think tank revised down its 2013 growth outlook from 4.1 percent to 3.4 percent, but it noted that the economic growth will make an upturn next year thanks to export growth caused by modest global recovery and improved domestic demand stemming from terms of trade stabilization.