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![Customers shop for goods at a supermarket in Seoul on April 6. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/12043119.jpg?imageId=12043119&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)
![A sign on a restaurant in Seoul informs of its closure, as pictured in this photo taken March 25. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/11507021.jpg?imageId=11507021&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)
![Restaurants stand empty in a street in Jongno District, central Seoul on Dec. 31, 2024. Consumer sentiment has been dampened by political uncertainty, while a tragic plane crash weighs heavily on the entire nation, leading to many year-end and new year festivities being cancelled. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/12317860.jpg?imageId=12317860&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)
![People lining up in front of a luxury brand store at a department store in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday. According to the Bank of Korea, consumer confidence for this month has risen to its highest level in nearly three years thanks to growing expectations of an economic recovery. Several indicators, including robust exports, have contributed to the improvement in consumer sentiment. [NEWS1]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/10625715.jpg?imageId=10625715&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)
![Customers crowd the Mangwon Traditional Market in western Seoul on Tuesday. Spending at such small businesses and markets has increased thanks to government emergency relief grants that were paid starting May 13. [YONHAP]](https://image.koreajoongangdaily.com/10189592.jpg?imageId=10189592&width=240&height=184&format=webp&format=jpg)