A street in Myeongdong in Seoul is crowded with people, May 1. Yonhap
Loans extended to companies in Korea grew at a faster pace in the first quarter compared with the previous three-month period, driven by strong demand from the service sector, central bank data showed Monday.
Outstanding loans to local companies reached 2,061.8 trillion won ($1.33 trillion) as of end-March, up 35.6 trillion won from the fourth quarter of 2025, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The increase marked an acceleration from the previous quarter, when loans expanded by 8.5 trillion won.
By sector, loans to manufacturing firms rose by 11.1 trillion won from three months earlier to 513.8 trillion won.
