South Korea's inflation remains stable, weakening the possibility of a rate cut by the central bank.

Consumer inflation in South Korea remained stable in November, giving the South Korean central bank more reason to be cautious about loosening monetary policy, as authorities are still concerned that continued increases in the real estate market may lead to financial imbalances. Data released on Tuesday showed that the consumer price index in November rose by 2.4% year-on-year, the same as in October, higher than the median estimate of 2.3% from economists surveyed by the media. The core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, fell to 2%, lower than October's 2.2%. Both overall inflation and core inflation rates continue to hover around the Bank of Korea's 2% target. The data shows that the depreciation of the Korean Won led to increases in food and fuel prices. After the government partially canceled fuel tax subsidies in October, fuel costs also rose. Meanwhile, apartment prices in Seoul continued to rise for the 43rd consecutive week as of November 24th.