South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $443.16 billion at the end of October 2026, up from $440.56 billion in September, a $2.6 billion increase and the first rebound in two months. The total surpassed the previous August peak of $442.28 billion, reaching its highest level since May 2022.
The recovery was driven mainly by investment gains on foreign assets and an increase in foreign currency deposits held by financial institutions. Deposits surged by $6.32 billion to $36.27 billion, while securities holdings, including U.S. Treasuries, declined by $3.59 billion to $382.43 billion. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) decreased by $70 million to $15.41 billion, and the country’s reserve position at the IMF fell by $50 million to $4.25 billion. Gold holdings were unchanged at $4.79 billion.
In global rankings, South Korea moved up to ninth place in September from 11th in August, aided in part by lower gold prices, which reduced the reported reserves of countries such as Italy and France.