South Korea posted a current account surplus of $3.37 billion in April, the Bank of Korea said on Wednesday - down from the $10.09 billion surplus in March.
April marked the 50th straight month with a surplus, although it touched a 27-month low.
The goods account surplus narrowed to $9.56 billion, compared to $12.45 billion in March.
The services account deficit widened to $1.62 billion, from $1.00 billion the month before, owing to deteriorations in the construction and other business services accounts.
The primary income account deficit widened as well, to $4.07 billion from $0.86 billion in March, in line with an increase in cross-border dividend payments by firms with fiscal years ending in December.
The secondary income account was a $0.50 billion deficit, while the financial account saw a $0.17 billion increase in net assets in April.
In the direct investment there was a $1.78 billion expansion in assets, down from the $3.89 billion growth in March. Liabilities increased by $1.93 billion after their $0.30 billion growth in April.
Portfolio investment assets saw an increase of $7.20 billion, after having risen by $9.27 billion in March. Portfolio investment liabilities grew by $3.84 billion, similar to the previous month.
There was a $3.64 billion decline in assets and a $0.30 billion decrease in liabilities in the other investment.
Financial derivatives saw a net decrease of $1.03 billion, while reserve assets grew by $1.32 billion.
Also on Wednesday:
• Statistics Korea said that consumer prices in South Korea were up just 0.8 percent on year in May - missing expectations for 0.9 percent and down from 1.0 percent in April.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices were flat versus forecasts for an increase of 0.2 percent. Prices were up 0.1 percent in the previous month.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile food costs, added 0.2 percent on month and 1.6 percent on year. That follows the 0.1 percent monthly increase and the 1.9 percent yearly gain a month earlier.
• The Ministry of Trade, Industries and Energy said that South Korea posted a $7.08 billion merchandise trade surplus in May.
That was well shy of forecasts for a surplus of $9.2 billion, and it was down sharply from $8.841 billion a month earlier.
Exports tumbled 6.0 percent on year to $39.78 billion, also missing expectations for a fall of 1.0 percent after tumbling 11.2 percent in April.
Imports tumbled 9.3 percent - matching forecasts following the 14.9 percent decline in April.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.