S.Korea freezes interest rate at 1.25 pct

South Korea's central bank on Thursday froze its benchmark interest rate in a bid to wait and see the effect of previous hikes.

Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol and other monetary policy board members decided to leave the seven-day repurchase rate unchanged at 1.25 percent.

It was in line with market expectations. According to the Korea Financial Investment Association poll of 100 fixed-income experts, 88 percent predicted the rate on hold.

The rate freeze decision followed a 25-basis-point rate hike in January. In 2021, South Korea's central bank raised the key rate from a record low of 0.50 percent to 0.75 percent in August and to 1 percent in November, respectively.