Acting President and finance minister Choi Sang-mok has assessed that external uncertainties remain high surrounding the new U.S. government's monetary and foreign policy.

Choi expressed his view when he convened an Emergency Meeting on Macroeconomic and Financial Issues in Seoul on Thursday. 

The acting president urged related agencies to maintain their joint 24-hour monitoring of financial and foreign exchange markets and to keep a close eye on the new U.S. administration’s policy trends and market impacts.

Choi's call came as participants discussed the results of a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee during which the U.S. Federal Reserve decided to maintain its key lending rate at the current range of four-point-25 percent to four-point-five percent. 

Participants of the so-called F4 Meeting also consisted of Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Byoung-hwan and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun.