South Korea keeps interest rate at record low of 1.5%

South Korea's central bank on Thursday kept its key interest rate unchanged to help stabilise the market amid concerns over China's economic hard landing. In a widely expected move, the Bank of Korea's monetary policy board left the base rate at a record low 1.5 percent for the ninth consecutive month. South Korea's exports have dropped for 14 consecutive months on-year since the start of last year, plunging 12.2 percent on-year in February alone.