Korean won breached the 1,500 mark against the dollar overnight for the first time since spring 2009, prompting Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang Yong to delay his departure for an IMF event in Bangkok. Rhee convened an emergency meeting with central bank and Finance Ministry officials in Seoul to assess the sharp moves in the won, bond yields, and other financial indicators. The won had initially weakened further before recovering to around 1,481, but the Kospi stock index triggered its circuit breaker after an 8% two-day plunge, signaling heightened market stress.