Advertisements for loan products of a commercial bank are shown in downtown Seoul, May 31. Yonhap
Household loans extended by banks rose at the fastest pace in nearly two years in May as lending linked to stock investment grew amid a market rally, data showed Thursday.
Outstanding household loans by banks grew 6.9 trillion won ($4.5 billion) to 1,181.8 trillion won last month, accelerating from the previous month's 2.1 trillion-won rise, according to data by the Bank of Korea (BOK).
It marked the sharpest on-month growth since August 2024, when household loans increased 9.2 trillion won from a month earlier.
Mortgage loans increased 3.2 trillion won on-month in May, up from a 2.7 trillion-won gain in April.
