North Chungcheong Province recorded 11.9% year-over-year growth in real regional gross domestic product (GRDP), the fastest rate among South Korea’s 17 provinces and cities in the second quarter of 2026. The province’s expansion, driven by mining and manufacturing and supported by semiconductor clusters including SK Hynix’s Cheongju plant, marked its sixth consecutive quarter of growth. Gyeonggi Province ranked second at 5.9%, while Seoul grew 5.5% on services and construction. National GRDP increased 3.7%, with the capital area up 5.2% and the Chungcheong region up 5.0%. Jeollanam-do posted the weakest result, contracting 2.8% as chemical-products and petroleum-refining production declined.