SEOUL – South Korea's foreign exchange reserves have climbed back above the $420 billion mark, rising for the fourth consecutive month, according to data released today by the Bank of Korea (BOK).

As of the end of September 2025, the country's foreign reserves stood at $422.02 billion, an increase of $5.73 billion from the previous month's $416.29 billion. The central bank attributed the rise primarily to an increase in operational profits driven by the favorable performance of U.S. stock markets, along with a boost in foreign currency deposits from financial institutions due to the quarter-end effect.

The bulk of the reserves, $378.42 billion, was held in securities—including U.S. Treasury bonds, government agency bonds, and corporate bonds—marking a $12.25 billion increase. Conversely, deposits saw a decrease, falling by $6.47 billion to $18.54 billion. Holdings in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and gold remained stable at $15.78 billion and $4.79 billion, respectively, while the IMF position slightly decreased to $4.49 billion.

Despite the consecutive monthly growth, South Korea’s global ranking remained at 10th place as of the end of August (the latest comparative data available), a position the country has held for six months after being overtaken by Germany and Hong Kong in March. This marks the first time since global rankings began in 2000 that South Korea has fallen to 10th.

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