A visitor looks out over apartment complexes from Mount Nam in Seoul, May 8.
Yonhap Policymakers are growing increasingly concerned that a wave of liquidity generated by the ongoing semiconductor boom could spill over into Korea's already overheated housing market, fueled by record-high bonus payouts and low-interest employee loans at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
Industry estimates suggest that bonus payouts and employee housing loan programs at the two chipmakers could unleash as much as 53 trillion won ($34.6 billion) in liquidity by next year, raising worries about further pressure on the housing market.
The figure includes about 23 trillion won in bonus-related cash and more than 30 trillion won in low-interest housing loans available to employees.
The estimates come as both companies prepare to roll out large bonus packages driven by the global artificial intelligence-driven semiconductor boom.
