SEOUL, Jan 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank on Friday kept its key interest rate unchanged at record-low 2.0 percent for an 11th month amid a growing conflict with a government opposed to early monetary tightening.
A spokesperson at the Bank of Korea announced the decision by its monetary policy committee to leave the 7-day repurchase agreement rate steady, without elaborating.
Governor Lee Seong-tae is due to hold a news conference shortly to explain the decision and the central bank's future policy stance.
In a Reuters poll of 18 economists early this week, the majority of the respondents forecast the Bank of Korea would start to raise the policy rate in February or March after leaving it steady at the Friday meeting. (Reporting by Seo Eun-kyung; Editing by Yoo Choonsik and Jonathan Hopfner)