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Korea's foreign reserves rise to nearly 3-year high in October

Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 08:57 Updated: 05 Nov. 2025, 14:52

U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken on May 4. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Korea's foreign reserves rose for the fifth consecutive month in October to the highest amount in 33 months, the central bank said Wednesday.

The reserves stood at $428.82 billion as of the end of October, up $6.8 billion from a month earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It marked the highest since January 2023, when the figure stood at $429.97 billion.

The increase was largely attributable to a rise in investment returns and the new issuance of foreign currency-denominated exchange stabilization bonds, the BOK said.

Foreign securities, such as U.S. Treasurys, declined $460 million to $377.96 billion as of the end of October, accounting for 88.1 percent of total foreign reserves.

The value of foreign currency deposits, however, rose by $7.4 billion to $25.94 billion, while special drawing rights (SDRs) stood at $15.71 billion.

Gold bullion holdings remained unchanged at $4.79 billion.

The country's International Monetary Fund reserve positions shed $80 million from a month earlier to $4.41 billion at the end of October, the data showed.

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

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

Yonhap