South Korea Forex Reserves Fall in March

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $427.9 billion at the end of April 2026 from $423.7 billion in the previous month. The increase came despite dollar injections to defend against high exchange rates, driven by investment returns and a higher dollar-converted value of other currency assets. Broken down by asset, securities such as government bonds and corporate bonds increased to $384.1 billion (vs $377.7 billion in March). Deposits fell to $18.8 billion (vs $21.1 billion), while Special Drawing Rights (SDR) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rose to $15.8 billion (vs $15.6 billion). Gold stood at $4.8 billion, unchanged from the previous month, as it is recorded at the purchase price rather than market value, as well as the IMF reserve position, remaining at $4.5 billion. As of March, South Korea ranked 12th globally in foreign exchange reserves.

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $423.7 billion at the end of March 2026, down from $427.6 billion in February. The decrease was driven by lower dollar-equivalent values of other currency assets and market stabilization measures, including foreign exchange swaps with the National Pension Fund. Securities holdings were $377.7 billion (vs. $379.96 billion in February), deposits declined to $21.1 billion (vs. $22.5 billion), SDRs stood at $15.6 billion (vs. $15.8 billion), gold holdings remained at $4.79 billion, and the IMF reserve position was $4.55 billion (vs. $4.61 billion). As of February, South Korea ranked 12th globally in foreign exchange reserves.

South Korea's foreign exchange reserves decreased to $428.1 billion in December 2025, down from $430.7 billion in November. The change was driven by securities holdings, which were $371.1 billion (vs. $379.3 billion in November). Meanwhile, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) stood at $15.9 billion, gold reserves held at $4.8 billion, and the IMF reserve position was $4.4 billion. On the other hand, deposits rose to $31.9 billion from $26.4 billion.