The Bank of Korea will maintain a restrictive monetary policy stance as it seeks to tame persistent price pressures, with headline and core inflation expected to stay above target for "some time", the central bank's chief said on Tuesday. "Inflation has really picked up, both from the cost-push and the demand-pull," said Governor Shin Hyun Song, referring to rising energy costs stemming from the war in the Middle East and surging demand for artificial intelligence, where South Korea is a key player.