A man reads a newspaper as he walks past a bank's foreign currency exchange centre in Seoul
A man reads a newspaper as he walks past a bank's foreign currency exchange centre in Seoul October 7, 2008. South Korea's president played down talk of a currency crisis similar to one that nearly broke the economy 10 years ago, seeking to assure investors even as the won slumped to a 7-½ low on fears global financial turmoil might drag down the country's banks. REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak (SOUTH KOREA)