"South Korea will be among the first nations to emerge from the global economic crisis with growth of two percent tipped next year, the World Bank said Monday. World Bank Chief Economist Justin Lin also predicted that Asia's fourth-largest economy, which is expected to start recovering in the second half of this year, would grow four to five percent in 2011...." [Agence France Presse (6/22)/Factiva]

Yonhap adds that "...the World Bank predicted, however, that a sustainable rebound for South Korea's economy will depend on a resumption of global growth. 'Korea is indeed likely to recover fastest among the OECD countries partly because it was in good macroeconomic health before the crisis and because the country has close linkage with China,' Lin told Yonhap...." [Yonhap News Agency (South Korea, 6/22)/Factiva]

Xinhua writes that Lin "...said the South Korean economy is forecasted to mark a decline of 3 to 3.5 percent this year, but it will likely make an upturn in 2010... Lin pointed at the well-structured fundamentals and good macroeconomic health as possible reasons behind the expected rebound in the South Korean economy...." [Xinhua (6/22)/Factiva]