S. Korea current account shortfall sharply narrows to US$1.22 in September

SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's current account deficit narrowed sharply in September from a record high one month earlier as oil prices fell and exports remained bullish, the central bank said Thursday.

The current account shortfall reached US$1.22 billion in September, compared with
a deficit of $4.7 billion the previous month, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a
report.
In the January-September period, the country logged a cumulative deficit of $13.8
billion, compared with a surplus of $2.8 billion a year earlier, according to the
bank.
The country had posted shortfalls for the seventh straight month since December,
marking the longest red-ink streak since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, due to
higher energy prices. The current account is the broadest measure of trade,
service and investment flows into and out of the country.
A widening shortfall of the current account, coupled with rising overseas debt
and a selling spree of local stocks by foreign investors, is putting downward
pressure on the already-weakening local currency.
The won has declined more than 30 percent versus the dollar so far this year,
putting upward pressure on already-high inflation.
The goods balance posted a deficit of $760 million in September, narrowing from a
deficit of $2.82 billion in August.
The shortfall of the service account, which includes South Korean spending on
overseas trips, narrowed to $1.24 billion from $2 billion.
The capital account, which tracks cross-border investments, recorded a net inflow
of $4.78 billion in September, compared with a net outflow of $5.32 billion a
month earlier, mainly due to eased selling by foreign investors.
sam@yna.co.kr
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