South Korea central bank keeps rates steady, as expected

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s central bank left interest rates at a 15-year high on Friday as stubborn inflation and strong exports growth gave policymakers reason to hold off easing policy.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) held its benchmark rate at 3.50% at a policy review in Seoul, keeping it unchanged for a 10th straight meeting as expected by all 39 analysts polled by Reuters.

Governor Rhee Chang-yong holds a news conference at around 0210 GMT, which will be livestreamed via YouTube.

(Reporting by Cynthia Kim. Editing by Sonali Paul)