Mers outbreak ups pressure for rate cuts in S Korea

Seoul

AN outbreak of a deadly respiratory disease in South Korea could hurt consumer spending and tourism and is ramping up the pressure on the nation's central bank to cut interest rates as early as next week, a central bank source said.

"I have a feeling that the outbreak increases the pressure for a cut," a Bank of Korea (BOK) official told Reuters. The official is not a voting member of the policy committee that will meet on June 11.