FX
USD/KRW
A key FX gauge for won weakness and foreign-flow pressure in Korean equities.
Latest
1,481 KRW
+5.30 KRW
At a glance
USD/KRW: latest value and prior change
As of 2026-07-23, USD/KRW is 1,481 KRW. It is 5.30 KRW higher than 1,476 KRW on 2026-07-22.
Within the default comparison window of 1,000 observations from 2021-07-02 to 2026-07-23, the latest value is at the tie-adjusted 93rd percentile. Available history covers 1990-01-02 to 2026-07-23 with 8,212 observations.
- Observed on
- Default comparison window
- 2021-07-02–2026-07-23
- Observations · observed cadence
- 1,000 · Daily
- Data source
- Bank of Korea ECOS
A high or low percentile does not by itself make the indicator positive, negative, or a buy or sell signal.
Time-series chart
USD/KRW
1990-01-02–2026-07-23
Long-history series are stored as real provider observations. Index, FX, VIX, and ratio charts use historical backfill where providers expose it; Korean investor flow and margin-credit feeds expand as stable historical endpoints become available.
Interpretation guide
USD/KRW: the baseline for foreign flows and won resilience
USD/KRW shows how many Korean won it takes to buy one US dollar, so a rising number means a weaker won. The pair compresses several forces into one price: foreign portfolio flows in and out of Korea, exporter and importer settlement demand, and the market's sense of how close the authorities are to smoothing operations. Anyone tracking KOSPI should keep it in the background at all times.
What is actually priced in
USD/KRW blends global dollar conditions with Korea-specific supply and demand. Roughly half of a move can usually be traced to US rates and broad dollar strength; the rest comes from semiconductor export receipts, dividend repatriation, and foreign trading in Korean stocks and bonds.
- A higher rate means won weakness, which erodes returns for foreign holders of won assets.
- When exporters convert dollar receipts in bulk, that selling tends to cap the pair's upside.
- Dividend-repatriation season and heavy outbound investment add dollar demand that firms up the downside.
Reading zones and speed together
The pace of a move inside a zone matters more than the absolute level. Round-number areas that traders have historically treated as psychological lines are less important in themselves than how fast the pair enters them and how the authorities respond.
- Repeated daily jumps of 10 won or more deserve a risk-off read regardless of the level.
- Near round-number zones, intervention wariness often compresses volatility rather than amplifying it.
- If the pair rises while KOSPI holds up, exporter optimism is winning; if both deteriorate, outflow pressure dominates.
Cross-checks and common misreads
On TapeFlow, pair this with foreign net buying, KOSPI, US Treasury yields, VIX, and the US Broad Dollar Index. The most common misread is treating won weakness as automatically good for exporters; in fast depreciations, foreign selling and imported input costs frequently offset that benefit.
- If the broad dollar index is quiet but USD/KRW climbs, look for a Korea-specific cause first.
- A rising rate combined with foreign net selling is a meaningful warning for large-cap flows.
- A pullback right after verbal intervention may be pace control, not a trend change, so give it a few sessions.
Related views
Related indicators and radar
KOSPI Foreign Net Buy
Foreign flow tied to FX conditions and large-cap demand.
Connects won weakness with foreign-flow pressure.
KOSPI Index
Korea's large-cap benchmark for risk appetite and flow conditions.
Links FX pressure to the KOSPI benchmark.
VIX Index
The U.S. equity volatility gauge for global risk aversion.
Checks whether USD/KRW is moving with global risk aversion.