Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol has hinted that the central bank could raise its key interest rate in the coming months to address deepening imbalance in the financial sector.

During a parliamentary audit of the central bank at the National Assembly on Monday, the BOK chief said that if external risks factors do not seem to put a significant burden on the nation's macro-economy such as growth and prices, it's necessary to adjust the degree of monetary easing in order to reduce imbalance in the financial sector.

Lee said that the central bank had to freeze its key rate last week to monitor a little longer the effects of external economic uncertainties on the local economy. 

However, Lee has now signaled a possible rate hike, saying that the nation needs to pay more attention to financial stability in the sense that expansionary financial conditions could increase instability and cause a rise in household debt.