S. Korea keeps interest rate at 2.0 percent

South Korea's central bank on Tuesday kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record-equalling low of 2.0 percent for the fourth straight month. The decision was widely expected as the Bank of Korea is still gauging the impact of previous rate reductions. It cut the base rate twice last year -- in August and October -- by 0.25 percentage points. South Korea's economy registered its slowest growth for more than two years in the fourth quarter, expanding 0.4 percent in the Octobe