{"id":2197437,"date":"2022-07-13T19:32:21","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T10:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2197437"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:10","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:10","slug":"what-the-bank-of-koreas-rate-spike-means-for-the-south-korean-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/07\/what-the-bank-of-koreas-rate-spike-means-for-the-south-korean-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Bank of Korea\u2019s rate spike means for the South Korean economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korea\u2019s central bank <\/span>took<\/span><\/a> the highly unusual step on Wednesday of raising its target policy rate by 0.5 percentage point (pp) to 2.25% from 1.75%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The speed of the rise, which still leaves BOK policy lagging behind the Federal Funds Rate ahead of the next meeting of the Fed\u2019s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) later this month, appears to be designed to achieve the following goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, it is a step to ensure that the exchange rate remains stable. An excessively strong dollar is bad news for South Korean consumers and firms, but also for U.S. exporters. The BOK\u2019s head has signaled hopes for a swap agreement that would allow it to better defend the exchange rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, raising the costs of borrowing will suppress household and firm-level demand, with the expectation that this will slow down domestic drivers of inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bank of Korea (BOK) had begun to <\/span>raise<\/span><\/a> rates in Aug. 2021, but the sudden spike will likely bring with it consequences for the South Korean economy that may include:<\/span><\/p>\n