South Korea's central bank holds rates, as expected

SEOUL, July 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank extended a pause on interest rates for a 12th straight meeting on Thursday, as it continues to keep policy restrictive to tame inflation.

The Bank of Korea held its benchmark interest rate at 3.50% at its monetary policy review, as expected by all 40 economists surveyed by Reuters.

Governor Rhee Chang-yong holds a news conference at around 0210 GMT, which will be livestreamed via YouTube.

(Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)