South Korea's central bank leaves policy rate unchanged, as widely expected

[SEOUL] South Korea's central bank kept its key policy rate steady on Thursday as the economy showed signs of recovery and concerns about rising household debt prevailed, even as the country faced a third wave of coronavirus infections.

The Bank of Korea's monetary policy board voted to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record low of 0.50 per cent, as forecast by all 22 economists in a Reuters poll.

The central bank is expected to announce its revised growth and inflation forecasts shortly, while Governor Lee Ju Yeol's news conference will be broadcast live on YouTube at 0220 GMT.

REUTERS