The economy grew 0.2 percent for the April-June quarter -- an annualized rate of 0.9 percent -- marking the second straight quarter of growth, according to gross domestic product figures released Thursday by the Economic Planning Agency.

The growth rate exceeded the expectations of many private economists, who had projected a slight contraction for the first quarter of fiscal 1999. They had expected a backlash from the January-March quarter, in which the GDP broke a 1 1/2-year downfall and logged a whopping 2 percent growth.

But the continued growth is not yet seen as a sign of a self-sustained recovery since it is being supported by massive public works spending and a series of pump-priming measures such as tax incentives for housing loans.