Seoul: The South Korean currency fell to its lowest level in about six months against the U.S. dollar Thursday, weighed down by uncertainties over tariff negotiations with Washington, persistent Sino-U.S. trade tensions, and a weakening Japanese yen. The won was quoted at 1,439.6 per dollar as of 3:30 p.m., down 9.8 won from the previous session. It marked the weakest level since April 28, when the won closed at 1,442.6.

According to Yonhap News Agency, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is considering new export restrictions against China that would block purchases of a wide range of critical technologies, including laptops and jet engines, in retaliation for Beijing's curbs on rare earth exports. South Korea has been engaged in intensive negotiations with Washington to finalize the details of a tariff agreement.

In late July, the two sides reached a framework deal under which Seoul pledged to invest US$350 billion in the U.S. in exchange for Washington's commitment to lower its "reciprocal" tariff from 25 percent to 15 percent. A final agreement, however, has yet to be signed. The weakening yen against the U.S. dollar also weighed on the broader foreign exchange market as new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is reportedly preparing a stimulus package larger than last year's.

Amid volatility in the currency market and surging housing prices, the Bank of Korea (BOK) kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.5 percent during its rate-setting meeting earlier in the day.