FinObservatory

Crisis atlas / KOR

South Korea

28 distinct crisis events in 8 episodes, 19462008, from the union of five primary chronologies.

Debt profile: government debt trajectory and crisis-start levels →

10
Banking crises
18
Currency crises
0
Sovereign debt crises
28
Crisis events
1946–2008
Span

Crisis timeline

Every distinct (year, type) event, most recent first, with the chronologies flagging it. Start-year sources (GMD, JST) do not mark continuation years, so long episodes show lower agreement after their first year.

  1. 2008
    Currencyrr1 source
  2. 2002
    Bankingrr1 source
  3. 2001
    Bankingrr1 source
  4. 2000
    Bankingrr1 source
  5. 1999
    Bankingrr1 source
  6. 1998
    Currencygmd, laeven_valencia2 sources
    Bankinglaeven_valencia, rr2 sources
  7. 1997
    Currencyrr1 source
    Bankinggmd, laeven_valencia, rr3 sources
  8. 1988
    Bankingrr1 source
  9. 1987
    Bankingrr1 source
  10. 1986
    Bankingrr1 source
  11. 1985
    Bankingrr1 source
  12. 1980
    Currencyrr1 source
  13. 1979
    Currencyrr1 source
  14. 1975
    Currencyrr1 source
  15. 1970
    Currencyrr1 source
  16. 1966
    Currencygmd, rr2 sources
  17. 1963
    Currencyrr1 source
  18. 1962
    Currencygmd, rr2 sources
  19. 1955
    Currencyrr1 source
  20. 1954
    Currencygmd, rr2 sources
  21. 1952
    Currencyrr1 source
  22. 1951
    Currencyrr1 source
  23. 1950
    Currencyrr1 source
  24. 1949
    Currencyrr1 source
  25. 1948
    Currencyrr1 source
  26. 1946
    Currencygmd, rr2 sources

Source: Global Macro Database 2026_06 (Müller, Xu, Lehbib & Chen 2025) | Jordà-Schularick-Taylor Macrohistory R6 | Laeven & Valencia (2020) | Reinhart-Rogoff via HBS BFFS | ECB/ESRB Financial Crises Database Methodology

Macro context around each episode

Inflation, central-bank policy rate, and government debt in a window of five years either side of each crisis episode (consecutive crisis years bridged across gaps of up to two years). Crisis years shaded.

1946–1955

Currency
Inflation (% y/y)
-50050100150194119461960
Policy rate (%)
No data for this window
Govt debt (% of GDP)
01020194119461960

1962–1966

Currency
Inflation (% y/y)
-2002040195719621971
Policy rate (%)
0102030195719621971
Govt debt (% of GDP)
01020195719621971

1970

Currency
Inflation (% y/y)
0102030196519701975
Policy rate (%)
0102030196519701975
Govt debt (% of GDP)
0102030196519701975

1975

Currency
Inflation (% y/y)
0102030197019751980
Policy rate (%)
01020197019751980
Govt debt (% of GDP)
0102030197019751980

1979–1980

Currency
Inflation (% y/y)
0102030197419791985
Policy rate (%)
01020197419791985
Govt debt (% of GDP)
0102030197419791985
Inflation (% y/y)
0102030198019851993
Policy rate (%)
01020198019851993
Govt debt (% of GDP)
0102030198019851993

1997–2002

BankingCurrencyFiscal cost 31.2% of GDP, output loss 57.6% of GDP (Laeven-Valencia 2026)
Inflation (% y/y)
0510199219972007
Policy rate (%)
02.557.5199219972007
Govt debt (% of GDP)
0102030199219972007

2008

Currency
Inflation (% y/y)
0246200320082013
Policy rate (%)
0246200320082013
Govt debt (% of GDP)
02040200320082013

Source: Global Macro Database 2026_06 (Müller, Xu, Lehbib & Chen 2025) Inflation is % year over year; policy rate is the central-bank rate in %; government debt is % of GDP. Methodology