The majority of South Koreans thinks the national economy will remain mired in a slump and face difficult times, a nationwide poll carried out by a leading business association said Sunday.

The survey, conducted on 800 people over age 19, showed 73.2 percent of the respondents expressing pessimism about the state of the economy down the road with quite a few expecting things to get worse, the Federation of Korean Industries said.

Of the total, 20.4 percent thought the economy will head downhill. In comparison, only 21 percent said the economy will gain momentum, with 5.8 percent declining to make any predictions.

The latest findings also revealed that 59.5 percent of those polled could not even predict when the economy will make a comeback, with 14.3 percent saying things may start improving after 2016. (Yonhap)