Bank of Korea reports 16.9 trillion won in 2025 foreign-asset earnings

The Bank of Korea earned 16.9 trillion won from foreign assets in 2025, up 32 percent from the previous year. Yonhap reported the figures on October 11, citing data submitted to a lawmaker.

The comparable figure for 2024 was 12.8 trillion won. Foreign-asset earnings include income from securities, interest on bank deposits, dividends and stock sales. Because the figures are expressed in won, exchange-rate movements affect their value.

In its 2025 annual report, released in March, the central bank attributed rising foreign-asset income to a weaker won against the dollar and higher stock-market prices. The figures do not disclose a portfolio rate of return, so the increase cannot be attributed entirely to investment performance.

Earnings stood at 13.8 trillion won in 2021 before falling to 3.9 trillion won in 2022. They recovered to 4.9 trillion won in 2023.