South Korea's current account surplus halved in February from a year earlier as the Lunar New Year holiday decreased business days in the month.

According to the preliminary data by the Bank of Korea on Thursday, the country's current account surplus reached four-point-03 billion U.S. dollars in February, down from eight-point-18 billion dollars a year ago.

The nation posted a current account surplus for the 72nd consecutive month since March 2012.

The services account deficit, which marked a record four-point-49 billion dollars in January, slowed to two-point-66 billion dollars in February, as the deficit in the travel account narrowed.

The travel account deficit posted one-point-41 billion dollars in February, the lowest since September last year, thanks to an increase in foreigners visiting the country for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.