BOK hikes rate after yearlong pause

The Bank of Korea on Thursday raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time since May 2025, ending a pause in monetary policy that had persisted for more than a year, as mounting inflationary pressures and the prolonged weakness of the won strengthened the case for further monetary tightening. The Monetary Policy Board agreed to raise the benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage point, bringing the base rate to 2.75 percent. The decision came as surging global oil prices triggered by t