South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves posted a record increase of $14.33 billion in August.

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $14.33 billion in August, marking the largest single-month increase in history, driven mainly by a sharp rise in commercial banks’ foreign currency deposits at the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK said in a Thursday statement that as of the end of August, the country’s foreign exchange reserves climbed to $442.28 billion from $427.95 billion at the end of July. The central bank added that August’s reserve growth stemmed primarily from a surge in foreign currency deposits held by financial institutions, while a weaker U.S. dollar against other currencies also boosted investment income and valuation gains on overseas assets denominated in foreign currencies. The improved reserves have strengthened South Korea’s financial buffer, as the won weakened several times in the first half of the year, drawing market attention to the country’s external financing conditions. Earlier this year, the won fell to its lowest level since 2009, prompting South Korean authorities to repeatedly warn against excessive exchange rate volatility and seek to curb capital outflows driven by massive retail investor investments in overseas assets.