SEOUL: The South Korean won skidded to a six and a half-month low in early trade Wednesday, hit by escalating geopolitical tensions as North Korea has yet to authorise entry of South Korean workers into the Kaesong industrial complex.
The local currency was quoted at 1,121.6 against the dollar as of 0030 GMT, the lowest since Sept. 20, 2012, compared with 1,118.0 at the end of onshore trading on Monday.
South Korea's unification ministry said earlier Wednesday that South Korean workers are still waiting for permission for entry to the Kaesong complex in North Korea.
The ministry says 861 South Korean workers are inside the complex at present, and it remains unclear whether they would be allowed to leave as scheduled. Should the workers be trapped, it would mark a major escalation of what has so far been a series of verbal threats from Pyongyang.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was down 0.1 percent at 1,985.06.
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