Country
South Korea KOR
BOK
score date 2026-10-10 · 30d +1.9
Seven dimensions
Credibility gap91.8
IMF / national CPI · as of 2026-09-01 · coverage: gold
Behind the curve35.8
BIS policy rates + CPI · as of 2026-08-28 · coverage: gold
Communication—
Central-bank statements · as of 2026-10-10 · coverage: gold
Geopolitical44.8
GDELT · as of 2026-10-10 · coverage: gold
Growth62.8
World Bank WDI / IMF WEO · as of 2026-10-10 · coverage: gold
Liquidity84.2
IMF BOP / BIS / FRED · as of 2026-10-10 · coverage: gold
Governance71.4
World Bank WGI · as of 2026-10-10 · coverage: gold
South Korea sovereign credibility, in brief
South Korea scores 63.9 out of 100 on the composite sovereign credibility index — credibility band 50–65. That ranks it 1 of 1 in East Asia, the 100th percentile of the region. The score has risen 0.4 points over the past seven days. CPI 2.9% vs 2.0% target (+0.9pp) — mild overshoot | adequate credibility (64/100).
As of 2026-10-10 · scored daily from public data under methodology v8
Executive summary
written 11 Oct · score 10 OctSouth Korea's composite score is adequate, but its credibility gap is wide because inflation runs 0.9pp above target.
- Composite position: The 63.9/100 score is adequate and is the only East Asia entry, so its rank is #1 by default.
- Credibility gap: At 91.8/100, the gap is the main drag, driven by CPI of 2.9% against a 2.0% point target.
- Policy stance: The 3.0% policy rate sits close to headline CPI, so the BOK looks only modestly behind the curve at 35.8/100.
- Geopolitics: Pressure reads 44.8/100, and most flagged headlines are low-signal, with domestic political confrontation the one to track.
- Watch item: With no communication score, the next BOK statement and the next CPI print are the checks on whether the gap is closing.
Peer context
Rank 1/1 in East Asia · 100th percentile
Region avg 63.9 · best 63.9 · worst 63.9
90-day trend
External pulse
- Port trade momentum, 30d YoY
- +18.6%
- as of 2026-10-11
- Commodity terms-of-trade, 12m change
- -3.3%
- as of 2026-10-11
- Electricity demand, YoY
- +0.3%
- as of 2026-04-01
Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org) · Terms-of-trade: IMF Commodity Terms of Trade · Electricity: Ember (CC BY 4.0)
Key indicators
Inflation & rates
| 10Y sovereign yield | 4.3% | 2026-08-01 | FRED |
External & activity
| Cpi monthly index | 120.0 | 2026-08-01 | ILO CPI |
| Current account (% GDP) | 6.6% | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| Economic policy uncertainty | 369.4 | 2026-07-01 | EPU (Baker-Bloom-Davis) |
| Electricity demand (TWh) | 44.1 | 2026-04-01 | Ember |
| FDI inflows (% GDP) | 0.8% | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| GDP growth, annual | 1.0% | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| Geopolitical risk | 0.3 | 2026-09-01 | GPR (Caldara–Iacoviello) |
| Nightlights radiance (monthly sum) | 3.2M | 2025-12-01 | World Bank / NASA Black Marble |
| Nightlights radiance, YoY | -3.5% | 2025-12-01 | derived |
| Remittances (% GDP) | 0.4% | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| Reserves (months of imports) | 6.5 mo | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| Trade openness (% GDP) | 86.4% | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| Unemployment rate | 2.7% | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| Unemployment rate (ILO) | 2.8% | 2025-12-31 | ILO |
Structure
| GDP per capita (USD) | $36,227 | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| Government debt (% GDP) | 47.8% | 2024-12-31 | World Bank |
| Labor force participation | 64.9% | 2025-12-31 | ILO |
| WGI: control of corruption | 0.9 | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| WGI: government effectiveness | 1.5 | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| WGI: political stability | 0.9 | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| WGI: regulatory quality | 1.0 | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| WGI: rule of law | 1.2 | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
| WGI: voice & accountability | 0.9 | 2025-12-31 | World Bank |
Nightlights: World Bank / NASA Black Marble VIIRS (CC BY 4.0)
Follow the moves
Every figure above is recomputed daily from public data, with the source and as-of date shown for each one. The weekly briefing says which scores moved, and why.