The South Korean won weakened to around 1,515 per dollar, moving closer to its multi-year low near 1,516 touched in March, as persistent capital outflows and a firm US dollar continued to weigh on sentiment. The currency remained sensitive to oil-linked risk sentiment, with cautious optimism over US–Iran talks easing immediate tail risks but leaving uncertainty over energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, ongoing foreign selling of South Korean equities and rebalancing out of large-cap semiconductor names continued to drive FX outflows, limiting the won’s ability to benefit from improved risk appetite. Broad US dollar strength alongside wide US Korea rate differentials further reinforced upward pressure on USD KRW, while defensive foreign positioning and the equity FX disconnect driven by concentrated gains in a handful of chip stocks without corresponding inflows into broader Korean assets continued to cap KRW recovery.
The USD/KRW exchange rate rose to 1,516.8800 on May 22, 2026, up 0.82% from the previous session. Over the past month, the South Korean Won has weakened 2.38%, and is down by 11.07% over the last 12 months. Historically, the USDKRW reached an all time high of 1995 in December of 1997. South Korean Won - data, forecasts, historical chart - was last updated on May 22 of 2026.
The USD/KRW exchange rate rose to 1,516.8800 on May 22, 2026, up 0.82% from the previous session. Over the past month, the South Korean Won has weakened 2.38%, and is down by 11.07% over the last 12 months. The South Korean Won is expected to trade at 1492.18 by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate it to trade at 1452.78 in 12 months time.