1st LD: S.Korea freezes interest rates at 1.75 percent

South Korea's central bank on Thursday froze its benchmark interest rate at an all-time low of 1. 75 percent after cutting it to that level in March.

Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Lee Ju-yeol and six other policy board members decided to keep the seven-day repurchase rate on hold at 1.75 percent. The policymakers cut the policy rate below 2 percent last month for the first time in the country's history.

It was in line with market expectations. According to a poll by the Korea Financial Investment Association (KFIA), 96.4 percent of fixed-income experts had expected the rate freeze this month. Endi