The South Korean economy has been stagnant for nine months in a row.
That's according to a report Sunday from the state-run thinktank Korea Development Institute, which blamed weak exports and slowing investment.
Exports for November, it said, fell 14.3 percent on-year led by key items including semiconductors.
They were down on-year for 12 straight months amid the U.S.-China trade dispute.
However, the KDI said the economy is unlikely to deteriorate further because some economic sentiment indicators have improved slightly.