Seoul: South Korea's finance ministry announced that the latest report from the U.S. Treasury Department highlights Washington's acknowledgment of the Korean won's "excessive" depreciation against the U.S. dollar. In the report, the United States maintained South Korea on its list of countries to monitor for foreign exchange policies. South Korea was initially removed from this list in November 2023, for the first time since April 2016, but was re-added in November 2024 and has remained there since.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the report indicated that "the won depreciated further in late 2025, which was not in line with Korea's strong economic fundamentals." This assessment implies that the U.S. Treasury considers the significant weakening of the won since the latter half of last year as unsuitable. The Ministry of Economy and Finance stated that the Treasury's comments were consistent with previous remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who noted that the recent weakness of the won was inconsistent with South Korea's strong economic fundamentals and was "undesirable."

The South Korean ministry emphasized its commitment to expanding mutual understanding and trust regarding the foreign exchange market. It also plans to maintain cooperation with the U.S. to aid in ensuring market stability.