South Korea’s central bank lowered its key policy rate for a second straight month and said the country’s economy will grow at a slower pace than it initially anticipated. Following a policy meeting,

The Bank of Korea (BOK) lowered its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.00% at its monetary policy review, an outcome only four of 38 economists polled by Reuters foresaw. All others expected the bank to keep rates unchanged.

South Korea's central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 3.00% on Thursday, delivering its first back-to-back cuts since the global financial crisis of 2008-2009.