---
status: not_available
error: "Primary source document not located after 2 search calls and direct fetch attempts"
date_searched: 2026-04-29T23:07:42Z
urls_tried:
  - https://kostat.go.kr/eng/ (direct fetch - no response)
  - Google queries: ["South Korea Retail Sales March 2026", "Retail Sales March 2026 site:kostat.go.kr"]
  - Perplexity query: "Statistics Korea Retail Sales March 2026"
search_results_summary: |
  Google search returned only news articles (Xinhua, Yonhap, Korea Times, etc.) citing Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy data with YoY +5.6%, not the official Statistics Korea MoM release. Site-scoped search on kostat.go.kr yielded no indexed results. Perplexity confirmed no direct official URL found in indexed results; suggested KOSTAT site may publish under Korean-language paths not discoverable with English queries.
next_steps: |
  - Try Korean-language direct navigation to kostat.go.kr economic statistics bulletin pages
  - Check if the release is under Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (motie.go.kr) instead of KOSTAT
  - If document is behind JavaScript rendering, browser-use may be required once URL is identified
---