Bareksa.com - South Korea's foreign exchange bank deposits dipped in March to their lowest in three months, central bank data showed on Monday, as some public companies withdrew dollars to pay for import contract payments.

Foreign exchange bank deposits in South Korea fell $1.0 billion to stand at $62.7 billion as of the end of March, the Bank of Korea said in a statement.

Dollar-denominated deposits fell $0.8 billion to $38.2 billion last month while yuan deposits declined for a third month, edging down $20 million to equal $18.6 billion, according to the central bank.

The central bank statement said there was nearly no change in yuan deposits because a large deposit by a local exporter offset withdrawals.

The deposit was likely made by Samsung Electronics as the South Korean tech giant said last month it would start buying or selling the yuan for won in the Seoul market from mid-March.

The central bank declined to disclose which company made the large yuan deposit.

Dollar deposits accounted for 60.9 percent of all foreign exchange bank deposits at the end of last month, while yuan holdings accounted for 29.7 percent. (Source: Reuters)