The Bank of Korea announced on Thursday that it would keep its policy rate unchanged at 3%, in line with market expectations, following two consecutive rate hikes. This decision comes after President Lee Jae-myung called for "all-out efforts" to increase housing supply. Despite September's inflation rate reaching 2.9%, marking the 13th consecutive month above or at the central bank's 2% target, analysts believe this pause in rate hikes does not signify the end of the tightening cycle. South Korea's economic growth is primarily supported by semiconductor exports, which saw an 83.7% year-on-year increase in September, with semiconductor exports alone surging by 262%.