Home > Business > Finance

Korea's foreign reserves rise to over 3-yr high in November

Published: 03 Dec. 2025, 08:59 Updated: 03 Dec. 2025, 14:22

A banker checks dollar bills at Hana Bank's Counterfeit Notes Response Center in Seoul on Nov. 5. [YONHAP]

Korea's foreign reserves rose for the sixth consecutive month in November to reach a three-year high, the central bank said Wednesday.

The country's foreign reserves had stood at $430.66 billion as of end-November, up $1.84 billion from a month earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It marked the highest level since August 2022, when the figure stood at $436.43 billion.

The increase was largely attributable to an increase in investment income and a rise in foreign currency deposits held by financial institutions, the BOK said.

Foreign securities, such as U.S. Treasurys, had gone up $1.39 billion to $379.35 billion as of end-November, accounting for 88.1 percent of total foreign reserves.

The value of foreign currency deposits rose by $490 million to $26.43 billion, while special drawing rights edged up by $20 million to $15.74 billion.

Gold bullion holdings remained unchanged at $4.79 billion.

The country's International Monetary Fund eserve positions shed $60 million from a month earlier to $4.35 billion at end-November, the data showed.

Korea ranked as the world's ninth-largest holder of foreign reserves at the end of October.

China topped the list, followed by Japan, Switzerland, Russia and India, according to the BOK.

Yonhap