SEOUL, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong on Thursday said the bank's pivot to interest rate cuts can potentially be delayed should the U.S. Federal Reserve delay its schedule on monetary policy easing amid robust economic growth.

Speaking at a local forum in Seoul after the U.S. central bank's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Rhee said the U.S. economy is performing better than expected but the International Monetary Fund may further downgrade the outlook on consumer inflation, which poses uncertainty for countries including South Korea. (Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Christopher Cushing)