The Bank of Korea kept its seven-day repurchase rate at 1.75 percent, as predicted by all 11 economists in a Reuters poll.

Governor Lee Ju-yeol is due to hold a news conference starting at 0220 GMT, where he is expected to announce the central bank's latest growth forecasts.

(Reporting by Cynthia Kim, Hayoung Choi; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)