Lee Ji-eun, a clothing retailer in her 30s who runs a small shop in northeastern Seoul's Nowon District, says the country's improving growth outlook feels distant from what she sees in her own business, with foot traffic at her store yet to pick up. "It's hard to feel an economic recovery when prices are still so high. I've also been cutting back on cultural activities, leisure and other spending myself, so I can understand why consumers are cutting back," Lee said. For Park, an office worker in the manufacturing sector who lives in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the economic growth driven by the semiconductor boom has done little to change her own financial situation. "My wages are the same, but when I hear about the big bonuses being paid at semiconductor companies, I feel kind of left behind," Park said. Shin, a small business owner in his 60s in Gyeonggi Province, said, "They say the economic figures are improving, but it's the big companies and exporters that are making the money. For people like us who make a living day to day, it feels like it's happening in another country." Their c