South Korea acting president Han calls for speedy implementation of 2025 budget

SEOUL - South Korea's acting president Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for next year's government budget to be swiftly implemented from the start of 2025 in order to help revive the country's slowing economy.

Han has been working to reassure South Korea's allies and calm financial markets, since President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and suspended from his duties on Saturday over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law.

The acting president was speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

South Korea faces economic challenges, including heightened uncertainty for the trade-dependent country created by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to hike tariffs, as export growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy slowed for a fourth-straight month in November, to the weakest level in 14 months.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies)