|

USD/KRW Price Analysis: South Korean won crashes 1.50% on N. Korean leader’s illness

  • USD/KRW hits fresh two-week highs, rises sharply by about 1.50%.
  • Broad dollar recovery, N. Korean Leader Kim’s illness drives spot higher.
  • South Korea’s April exports collapse amid coronavirus pandemic.

USD/KRW extends the range breakout to the north and flirts with a new two-week high of 1,238.96, rallying 1.50% so far in Tuesday’s Asian trading.

South Korean won fell sharply against the greenback following reports that the North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un is ill and undergoing a cardiovascular procedure. Further, NBC News reported that the North Korean leader is brain dead, which also weighs down on the won.

Adding to the bearish sentiment around the Asian currency, South Korea’s exports collapsed for the first 20 days of April by nearly 27% YoY, underscoring the coronavirus impact on the global supply chains and demand.

Further, liquidity injections by the Bank of Korea (BOK) and broad-based US dollar recovery also collaborate with the relentless rise in the cross. The South Korean central bank provided 270 billion won of liquidity via weekly operations.

South Korean won: Levels to watch

USD/KRW

Overview
Today last price1238.75
Today Daily Change15.99
Today Daily Change %1.31
Today daily open1220.62
 
Trends
Daily SMA201221.46
Daily SMA501213.09
Daily SMA1001192.48
Daily SMA2001190.55
 
Levels
Previous Daily High1222.16
Previous Daily Low1215.06
Previous Weekly High1230.16
Previous Weekly Low1209.64
Previous Monthly High1292.5
Previous Monthly Low1176.33
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%1219.45
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%1217.78
Daily Pivot Point S11216.4
Daily Pivot Point S21212.19
Daily Pivot Point S31209.31
Daily Pivot Point R11223.5
Daily Pivot Point R21226.38
Daily Pivot Point R31230.59

Author

Dhwani Mehta

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

More from Dhwani Mehta
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD holds steady near 1.1750 on first trading day of 2026

EUR/USD stays calm on Friday and trades in a narrow channel at around 1.1750 as trading conditions remain thin following the New Year holiday and ahead of the weekend. The economic calendar will not feature any high-impact data releases.

GBP/USD struggles to gain traction, stabilizes above 1.3450

After testing 1.3400 on the last day of 2025, GBP/USD managed to stage a rebound. Nevertheless, the pair finds it difficult to gather momentum and moves sideways above 1.3450 as market participants remain in holiday mood.

Gold climbs toward $4,400 following deep correction

Gold reverses its direction and advances toward $4,400 after suffering heavy losses amid profit-taking before the New Year holiday. Growing expectations for a dovish Fed policy and persistent geopolitical risks seem to be helping XAU/USD stretch higher.

Cardano gains early New Year momentum, bulls target falling wedge breakout

Cardano kicks off the New Year on a positive note and is extending gains, trading above $0.36 at the time of writing on Friday. Improving on-chain and derivatives data point to growing bullish interest, while the technical outlook keeps an upside breakout in focus.

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).