The daily average foreign exchange turnover at domestic banks reached a record high last year.

It's believed to be due to increased demand for foreign exchange derivatives to avoid FX rate fluctuations triggered by risks related to the North Korea nuclear crisis.

According to Bank of Korea(BOK) data on foreign exchange transactions released Thursday, the daily FX turnover averaged some 50-point-six billion U.S. dollars in 2017, up four-point-seven percent from a year ago.

It's the highest figure since 2008 when the central bank began compiling data based on the current criteria. 

A BOK official explained that an uptick in North Korea risks last year escalated exchange rate volatility which increased the turnover of foreign exchange derivatives.