SOUTH KOREAN HOUSEWIVES CROWD AT A GARMENT SHOP IN SEOUL, 1998-08-27 (photo)

Housewives crowd at a garment shop in Seoul's shopping district of Myong-dong August 27 as shopowners tag sharp discount signs to lure people at a time when the economic recession is set to deepen. The government announced the gross domestic product contracted by 6.6 percent in the second quarter of this year and by 5.3 percent in the first half of this year, the biggest drop on record for a half-year. Analysts say extremely dispirited consumers would further tighen belts as the economic prospects were gloomy and the jobless rate is expected to shot up in the future. YCS/KK/CLH/