South Korea’s foreign reserves rise while June consumer inflation hits 3.2%

The Bank of Korea reported that its foreign exchange reserves grew to $4.273 billion at the end of June, an increase of $370 million from the previous month. The rise reflects higher foreign‑currency deposits by banks and a swap arrangement with the national pension fund that helps stabilize the won.

Separately, Statistics Korea said the consumer price index rose 3.2% year‑on‑year in June, marking the second consecutive month of inflation in the 3% range. The increase was driven largely by a 24.7% jump in oil prices, which added 0.9 percentage points to the overall inflation rate.