Seoul, Feb 6 (IANS) South Korea posted its largest-ever annual current account surplus last year, supported by robust exports amid strong semiconductor demand, central bank data showed on Friday.The country’s current account surplus totalled $123.05 billion in 2025, up from $99.97 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).The figure marks the largest yearly surplus on record, surpassing the previous high of $105.1 billion set in 2015 and beating the BOK’s forecas…
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Seoul, Feb 4 (IANS) South Korea’s foreign reserves fell for the second consecutive month in January amid government efforts to stabilise the foreign exchange market, the central bank said on Wednesday.South Korea ranked as the world’s ninth-largest holder of foreign reserves as of end-December. China topped the list, followed by Japan, Switzerland, Russia and India, according to the BOK.The country’s foreign reserves stood at US$425.91 billion as of end-January, down $2.15 billion from a month e…
Seoul, Jan 29 (IANS) Uncertainty over the path of the United States’ monetary policy is expected to persist, though markets have remained broadly stable following the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate decision, a senior official of the South Korean central bank said on Thursday.On Wednesday (US time), the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the 3.5-3.75 percent range following three successive cuts since September, a decision that will continue to put the gap between the key r…
Seoul, Jan 27 (IANS) Business sentiment in South Korea fell slightly in January, despite strong exports, due mainly to worsening sentiment in the non-manufacturing sector following the dissipation of year-end base effects, a central bank survey showed on Tuesday.The Composite Business Sentiment Index (CBSI) for all industries stood at 94 this month, down 0.2 point from December, according to the survey conducted by the Bank of Korea (BOK), reports Yonhap news agency.The index had risen for two c…
Seoul, Jan 23 (IANS) Daily foreign exchange (FX) trading by banks in South Korea hit an all-time high last year, driven by increased cross-border stock trading, central bank data showed on Friday.Average daily FX turnover, including derivatives trading, came to US$80.71 billion in 2025, up 17 per cent from the previous year’s $68.96 billion, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK), reports Yonhap news agency.It marked the highest annual level since the central bank began compiling suc…
Seoul, Jan 22 (IANS) The South Korean economy expanded 1 per cent last year, driven by robust exports, but posted negative on-quarter growth in the fourth quarter amid a slump in the construction sector, central bank data showed on Thursday.The country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) — a key measure of economic growth — for 2025 matched the Bank of Korea’s (BOK) earlier forecast, though the growth rate slowed from a 2 per cent expansion in the previous year, according to the preliminary da…
Seoul, Jan 20 (IANS) The number of young South Koreans who are neither working nor seeking employment has surged in recent years, raising concerns about structural strains in the labor market, a central bank report showed on Tuesday.According to a Bank of Korea (BOK) report on youth employment, the share of people aged 20 to 34 classified as “resting” rose to 22.3 per cent in 2025 from 14.6 per cent in 2019, reports Yonhap news agency.The category refers to individuals who are not employed and a…
Seoul, Jan 19 (IANS) Longer job searches and rising housing costs are intensifying economic pressure on young South Koreans amid the country’s structural challenges and sluggish growth, a central bank report said on Monday.According to a report on youth economic conditions released by the Bank of Korea (BOK), many young job seekers are experiencing prolonged job searches early in their careers as companies increasingly favour experienced workers and expand rolling recruitment, rather than the tr…
Seoul, Jan 18 (IANS) South Korea’s major commercial banks are stepping up efforts, alongside government foreign exchange authorities, to curb the local currency’s recent weakness, offering incentives for customers to sell U.S. dollars and lowering interest rates on foreign-currency deposits, officials said on Sunday.The won has hovered near the closely watched 1,450 won level against the U.S. dollar recently despite authorities’ verbal intervention and policy measures, pressured by broad dollar …
Seoul, Jan 16 (IANS) A sharp drop in US stock prices similar to the collapse of the dot-com bubble could trigger a steep contraction in US consumer spending, South Korea’s central bank said on Friday, noting the local economy, too, may suffer serious setbacks should such a case occur.According to a recent report by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on U.S. consumption, a 10 per cent decline in US equity prices would reduce annual consumption growth by about 0.3 percentage point, reports Yonhap news agency…