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Jun 11, 2026
- Household Loans, May 2026
- In May 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW9.3 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.5 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans edged up KRW4.0 trillion, rising at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW5.5 trillion). Mortgage loans rose more rapidly in the banking sector (up KRW2.7 trillion up KRW3.2 trillion), while growing at a slower pace in the nonbanking sector (up KRW2.8 trillion up KRW0.8 trillion). Other types of loans went up KRW5.3 trillion, edging back up rapidly from a decline of KRW2.0 trillion a month ago, with credit loans (down KRW0.9 trillion up KRW3.4 trillion) bouncing back up at rapidly. (By Sector) In May 2026, household loans in the banking sector rose KRW6.9 trillion, growing more rapidly from the previous month (up KRW2.1 trillion). Banks own mortgage loans (up KRW1.4 trillion up KRW2.1 trillion) increased at a faster pace, while policy-based mortgage loans (up KRW1.4 trillion up KRW1.1 trillion) grew at a slower pace. Other types of loans (up KRW3.7 trillion) turned back up from a drop of KRW0.6 trillion in the previous month. In the nonbanking sector, household loans went up KRW2.3 trillion, growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW1.4 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW2.1 trillion up KRW0.7 trillion) saw household loans rising at a slower pace, while insurance companies (down KRW0.4 trillion up KRW0.9 trillion), specialized credit finance businesses (down KRW0.2 trillion up KRW0.6 trillion), and savings banks (down KRW0.02 trillion up KRW0.2 trillion) all saw household loans edging back higher from the previous month. (Assessment) In May 2026, home-backed mortgage loans (up KRW5.5 trillion up KRW4.0 trillion) went up at a slower pace despite recent increases in housing transactions and group lending for apartment subscription. However, other types of loans (down KRW2.0 trillion
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Jun 10, 2026
- FSC Chairman Holds Meeting with Financial Holding Companies to Discuss Ways to Bolster Cyber Defense Capacity in AX
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission held a meeting with the CEOs of five major financial holding companieson June 10 and discussed ways to effectively respond to cybersecurity threats and voice phishing (vishing) attacks in an era of AI transformation (AX). At the meeting, Chairman Lee and the heads of financial holding companies discussed the risk of cybersecurity threats posed by frontier AI and deepfake vishing scams and ways to effectively respond to these newly emerging digital threats to help propel AI transformation in the financial industry. In his opening remarks, Chairman Lee talked about both challenges and opportunities presented by AI transformation and pointed out major threats posed by frontier AI models, such as Claude Mythos, as well as deepfake vishing scams that take advantage of AI technology. In this regard, Chairman Lee said that the government has put in place diverse measures and policies intended to bolster the AI-driven defense capabilities against AI attacks. For instance, the network separation rule will be eased for financial companies for their AI cyber defense purposes, and the utility of the AI-based anti-phishing sharing analysis platform (ASAP) has been ramped up to more effectively detect and prevent newly emerging types of phishing attacks. Moreover, Chairman Lee said that the government is planning to quickly introduce the strict liability rule in the financial sector to make financial companies more responsible and remedies more effective for victims. To strengthen the financial industrys response capacity against newly emerging digital threats in an era of AI transformation, Chairman Lee asked the financial holding companies to take the following steps. First, in response to cyber threats posed by frontier AI, financial holding companies are urged to actively participate in AI cybersecurity tests prepared by the government and take follow-up steps as deemed necessary. In preparation for the complete lifti
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May 25, 2026
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May 22, 2026
- NICE Credit Information (NICE CI) Obtains Certificate to Operate in Vietnam from the State Bank of Vietnam
- The Financial Services Commission announced on May 22 that the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) granted a Certificate of Eligibility for Providing Credit Information Services to NICE Credit Information (NICE CI), which is NICE Information Services local subsidiary in Vietnam, on May 20. NICE CI will become fourth credit information service provider in Vietnam along with PCB (Jul 2013), FCBV (Dec 2024), and KCI (Dec 2024), in order of the time of authorization granted. For Vietnam, Korea is the largest FDI originating country, the second largest tourist sending country, and the third largest bilateral trade partner. In terms of overseas presence, Korean financial companies have the second largest number of overseas establishments in Vietnam (54 as of May 2026), second only to the United States (68). Shown by the recent license obtainment of Korea Development Banks Hanoi branch (Jan 2026) and Industrial Bank of Korea Vietnam (Apr 2026), and NICE CI (May 2026), Korean financial companies have been expanding their presence in the Vietnamese market across diverse sectors. The SBVs granting of certificate to NICE CI this time took only 10 months from the time of application in July 2025. The speedy result can be seen as a successful outcome of the Korea-Vietnam summit meeting (Apr 22), the high-level financial meeting between FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon and SBV Governor Pham Duc An (Apr 24), and constant efforts to strengthen communication and build local relationship by the private sector and overseas diplomatic channels. NICE CIs operation scheduled for H1 2027 in Vietnam will help to improve local financial companies risk management systems. Through this, NICE CI will also support Vietnam to strengthen its non-performing loan (NPL) management capacity. Equipped with advanced service tools and reliable credit information infrastructure, NICE CI will help to boost the credibility of Vietnams financial markets. Moreover, NICE CI plans to seek ways to help to improve financial ac
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May 21, 2026
- FSC Chairman Holds Media Briefing and Outlines Progress and Achievements of Financial Policy Implementation
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission held a media briefing on May 21 and announced ten key achievements and progress in the implementation of financial policies in the first year of the Lee Jae Myung administration. Over the past year, the FSC has sought to push for a major overhaul in the financial industry to make financial services more productive, more inclusive, and more trustworthy, and has been able to produce notable achievements in the following areas. Progress and Achievements I. Decouple Finance-Real Estate Ties Redirect Finance to Productive Sectors a) Building foundation for Korea premium in capital markets Capital market reform has been a high priority for this administration. Various reform measures, such as introducing the one-strike-out principle for market manipulation, making corporate directors subject to the fiduciary duty to all shareholders, and requiring listed companies to permanently retire treasury shares, have been carried out in a swift manner. In this process, the rigidly boxed-in KOSPI index surged past 8,000 points for the first time in a single year, showing signs of shedding the disgrace of Korea discount and moving closer to Korea premium. b) Launching KRW150 trillion National Growth Fund to propel growth for next 20 years In December 2025, National Growth Fund was launched in the size of KRW150 trillion to propel economic growth for next 20 years and ensure an adequate supply of funds to strategic high-tech sectors. The fund has moved quickly to select 13 important megaprojects that can have significant ripple effects across different regions and industries and has already decided to inject KRW8.4 trillion in 11 megaprojects. From this amount, KRW4.6 trillion is being directed at regional economies and KRW1.2 trillion in direct investment for the development of future high-tech industries (e.g. AI computing). c) Promoting regionally well-balanced growth through targeted supply of finance In October 2025, the
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May 20, 2026
- Revised Rules on Whistleblower Reward and Strengthened Sanctions on Accounting Fraud to Take Effect from May 26
- The Financial Services Commission announced that revision proposals for the Enforcement Decree of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) and the Act on External Audit of Stock Companies have been approved by the government at the cabinet meeting held on May 20. Key Revision Details a) Improving rules on whistleblower reward On February 25 this year, the FSC introduced a plan to overhaul the whistleblower reward program to strengthen incentives for insiders to report unfair trading and accounting fraud. The approved rules change today is a follow-up measure to this plan, abolishing all caps (KRW3 billion for unfair trading and KRW1 billion for accounting fraud) on whistleblower rewards. In this regard, authorities will also seek to update rules on subordinate regulations in line with the changes in relevant legislation. First, with the reward payout caps abolished, the method for calculating the amount of whistleblower reward will be linked to the amount of illicit gains or penalties (up to 30 percent), calibrated to the level of contribution made by whistleblowers for uncovering rule-breaking activities. This method will significantly increase the amount of rewards payable if the scale of unfair trading or accounting fraud is extensive, which will help to provide more incentives for insiders to report wrongdoings. Second, a whistleblowers reporting submitted to an authority other than the FSC or the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS)such as the National Police Agency or the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commissionwill also qualify for rewards as the establishment of an inter-agency consultative mechanism will ensure seamless referrals and information sharing between related authorities. Third, if the whistleblower is also an accomplice in unfair trading activities, reward payouts were not possible previously. However, under the revised rules, reward payouts will be made possible in part if the whistleblower did not coerce others to tak
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May 18, 2026
- Household Loans, April 2026
- In April 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW3.5 trillion (preliminary), growing at a similar pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.5 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans rose KRW5.5 trillion, growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.0 trillion). Mortgage loans in the banking sector (down KRW0.02 trillion up KRW2.7 trillion) edged back higher from a decline a month ago but expanded at a slower pace in the nonbanking sector (up KRW3.0 trillion up KRW2.8 trillion). Other types of loans dropped KRW2.0 trillion, edging back down from the increase of KRW0.5 trillion in the previous month with credit loans (down KRW0.2 trillion down KRW0.8 trillion) falling at a faster pace. (By Sector) In April 2026, household loans in the banking sector rose KRW2.2 trillion, growing at a faster pace from a month ago (up KRW0.5 trillion). Banks own mortgage loans (down KRW1.5 trillion up KRW1.3 trillion) edged back up, while policy-based mortgage loans (up KRW1.5 trillion up KRW1.4 trillion) grew at a slower pace. Other types of loans (down KRW0.6 trillion) shifted back lower from the growth of KRW0.5 trillion a month ago. In the nonbanking sector, household loans rose KRW1.3 trillion, growing at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.1 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW2.8 trillion up KRW2.0 trillion) saw household loans growing at a slower pace, while savings banks (down KRW0.4 trillion down KRW0.02 trillion) saw household loans declining at a slower pace. Insurance companies (up KRW0.5 trillion down KRW0.4 trillion) and specialized credit finance businesses (up KRW0.1 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion) saw household loans edging back lower from the growth seen in the previous month. (Assessment) In April 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans (up KRW3.5 trillion up KRW3.5 trillion) expanded at a similar level compared with a month ago, despite a faster
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May 13, 2026
- FSC Approves Revisions to KRX Listing Rules to Facilitate Effective Delisting of Unviable Companies
- The Financial Services Commission approved a set of revision proposals to the Korea Exchange (KRX) listing regulations at the 9th regular meeting held on May 13. The FSCs approval today follows the previously announced plan (Feb. 12, 2026) to strengthen delisting rules to make the domestic stock markets more dynamic by facilitating a seamless entry of innovative companies and ensuring a swift and strict removal of unviable companies. Key Revision Details The revised KRX listing regulations will strengthen or newly introduce the following four key standards considered for delisting. First, the upward adjustment of market capitalization threshold for KOSPI-listed and KOSDAQ-listed companies, previously scheduled to take place from January 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028, with the market cap threshold rising to KRW30 billion and KRW50 billion for KOSPI-listed companies and to KRW20 billion and KRW30 billion for KOSDAQ-listed companies, respectively, will move up six months early each time. As a result, the market cap threshold for delisting will be raised from KRW20 billion currently to KRW30 billion for KOSPI-listed companies from July 1, 2026, and then to KRW50 billion from January 1, 2027. For KOSDAQ-listed companies, the market cap threshold for delisting will be raised from KRW15 billion currently to KRW20 billion from July 1, 2027, and then to KRW30 billion from January 1, 2027. Along this line, there have been also changes in specific standards and procedures to prevent the occurrence of temporary stock price pumps for avoiding delisting. Previously, companies went on the delisting watch list if they failed to stay above the market cap threshold for thirty consecutive trading days during a period of ninety trading days from the time of being designated on the watch list, but could avoid delisting if they were able to stay above the market cap threshold for ten consecutive trading days and thirty cumulative trading days during that time. However, this market cap requ
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Apr 30, 2026
- FSC-MSS and Five Financial Holding Groups Sign MOU to Promote Startup and Venture Investment Ecosystem
- The Financial Services Commission and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on promoting a transition to productive finance, expanding venture investments, and enhancing cooperation for the Startup for All project with five financial holding groups and related industry organizations on April 30. The MOU will facilitate the provision of funding support by five financial holding groups for the startup and venture investment ecosystem, accelerating the transition to productive finance and helping to create conditions where anyone with an innovative business idea can make an attempt to launch a startup. The MOU signing ceremony was held with participation by Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission, the CEOs of five financial holding groups and the heads of related industry organizations. The following are key details of the MOU. First, to help promote venture investments in the private sector, the five financial holding groups will create a venture fund worth KRW800 billion in total until 2029, starting with an input of KRW400 billion this year. In particular, Hana Financial Group will provide a leading role as it pledged to provide a total of KRW400 billion (KRW100 billion every year) to lead the venture investment effort. In this regard, the government plans to provide incentives (e.g. extra tax exemption) to promote participation from the private sector. In addition, the five financial holding groups will work to strengthen investment and cooperation with policy-based funds. The five financial holding groups will make joint contributions together with policy-based funds to create a growth fund (LP) in the amount of KRW100 billion and a regional growth fund in the amount of KRW20 billion to facilitate the supply of venture capital in the startup ecosystem. The five financial holding groups will also provide relevant support through their overseas off
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Apr 29, 2026
- FSC Chairman Meets with Fintech Businesses and Announces Plan to Upgrade Fintech Support Programs
- The Financial Services Commission organized a gathering event for fintech businesses, financial companies, investment firms, policy financial institutions, and related industry associations on April 29 to facilitate collaboration and investment and open up new opportunities for fintech startups. At the beginning of the event, FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon delivered opening remarks. A Summary of Opening Remarks by FSC Chairman Over the past ten years, fintech businesses have led innovation in Koreas financial industry. However, the financial industry now stands once again at a critical juncture as the advancement of AI technology presents new challenges not only in terms of the speed of the change it brings but also in how it changes and restructures the way financial services work. In this regard, AI transformation (AX) is not a choice but a reality that should be embraced actively in the financial sector, and fintech businesses should be at the forefront of the innovation and challenge to propel the financial industrys move toward AI transformation (AX). To facilitate this, the FSC plans to upgrade fintech support programs by first making the provision of support more effective and targeted (e.g. AI, data, regional enterprises, young entrepreneurs, etc.) Additionally, the FSC will seek bold reforms in regulations to establish a legal ground for stablecoins and seek regulatory improvements on the use of data to help to remove obstacles in developing new and innovative services. Building bridges between individuals and between different ideas is a key to innovation. The FSC will continue to work to build bridges between financial companies, investors, and fintech businesses to promote investments in innovative fintech businesses. Upgrading Fintech Support Programs First, the provision of fintech support will be made more selective and targeted for regional startups and young entrepreneurs and in the areas of AI transformation (AX). To boost the effectiveness in the provi
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Apr 26, 2026
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Apr 23, 2026
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Apr 21, 2026
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Apr 20, 2026
- Financial Companies Will be Able to Use Cloud-based Software as a Service on Internal Network from April 20
- The Financial Services Commission announced that financial companies and electronic financial service providers will be able to adopt and use cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) for various types of administrative and back office functions without the need to go through an approval process under the financial regulatory sandbox program from April 20. The revised rules on the supervision of electronic financial services went into effect on April 20, granting financial companies exemption to the network separation rule for the use of SaaS in their internal networks on the condition that they comply with certain security requirements. Key Revision Details First, SaaS programs specified under the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Development of Cloud Computing and Protection of Its Users will be exempted from the network separation rule pursuant to the Electronic Financial Transactions Act and the supervisory regulation on electronic financial services. However, to prevent potential breaches of personal information, the exemption form the network separation rule will not apply to the handling of personal identification information or personal credit information. For the use of pseudonymized personal data in their SaaS programs, financial companies will still need to get an approval through the financial regulatory sandbox program. Second, with the granting of exemption from the network separation rule, financial companies will be required to maintain a more rigorous level of information protection control measures. More specifically, financial companies will need to (a) have their SaaS programs pre-screened by the Financial Security Institute (FSI), (b) maintain strict IT security protocols (certification, authorization, etc.) for access devices (computers and mobile devices), (c) have their compliance measures evaluated every six months and report finding to their chief information security officers (CISOs). To facilitate the adoption of various IT security and
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Apr 16, 2026
- Capital Regulations and Requirements to be Improved for Banks and Insurers to Promote Productive Finance
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Services Commission presided over the fifth meeting on propelling a transition to productive finance with officials from the Financial Supervisory Service, the banking and insurance sectors, and related industry groups on April 16. At todays meeting, officials discussed ways to improve upon the capital regulations and requirements for banks and insurers to help strengthen their capital capacity aimed at productive finance. With the participation of private sector experts, officials also discussed the impact of the Middle East situation on domestic industries and went over the progress of financial assistance measures made available from the financial industry. A Summary of Opening Remarks by FSC Chairman The situation in the Middle East is raising concerns about an expanded level of volatility in financial markets. With many businesses undergoing the challenges of rising costs and financing difficulties, it is very much appreciated that the financial sector has made available KRW53 trillion-plus in financial assistance programs. As the situation in the Middle East may continue to go on for a while, it is important to provide support more proactively. In this regard, the FSC will work to maintain financial market stability and make certain that the risks originating from the Middle East do not translate into a financial market contraction or a drag in the real economy. Moreover, in order to be adequately prepared for a potential shift in global supply chains and a restructuring of industries in a post-war period, the FSC will continue to push forward with our productive finance initiatives to promote energy transitions and the growth of strategic industries. The measures to improve upon the capital regulations and requirements for banks and insurers, which are being announced today, will free up their productive finance capacity by up to KRW98.7 trillion (KRW74.5 trillion for banks and KRW24.2 trillion for insurers). As such, th
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Apr 16, 2026
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Apr 14, 2026
- High-tech Industry Investment Worth KRW50 Trillion-plus Planned for Five Years through National Growth Fund
- The Financial Services Commission announced that the private-public joint strategic committee on National Growth Fund (NGF) held its second committee meeting on April 14. At todays committee meeting, officials announced a second batch of investment megaprojects sought by the NGF and discussed specific investment plans that are aimed at strengthening the foundation of high-tech industries and their ecosystems. The second batch of megaprojects has been drawn up based on the significant impact each industrial project can have on high-tech industrial ecosystems and considering the need to promote the growth of regional economies. In this regard, under the second batch of megaprojects, the NGF will provide investment and/or lending support for the following high-tech strategic projects(a) next generation biotech and vaccines, (b) OLED display facility, (c) future mobility and defense, (d) sovereign artificial intelligence, (e) energy infrastructure development, and (f) Saemangeum development project (robotics, hydrogen, AI and energy). NGF Investment Plans for High-tech Industries The FSC plans to inject investments worth KRW50 trillion-plus for the next five years in the form of direct and/or indirect investment and lending support for the development of high-tech industries and their value chains to foster the creation of strong and innovative industrial bases. a) KRW35 trillion in indirect investment via private-public joint investment fund A private-public joint investment fund in the amount of KRW35 trillion will be operated through 20 different types of feeder funds to help close the loophole in investment blind spots across various industries. This will facilitate a bold injection of investment support in the areas that have been previously overlooked by policy-based funds in the past. With the establishment of a scale-up fund and an ultra-long-term (minimum 10 years) technology investment fund, large-scale growth capital and long-term investment will be provided
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Apr 10, 2026
- FSC Chairman Meets with Chairman of AMCHAM Korea and Discusses Ways to Strengthen Financial Competitiveness
- Chairman Lee Eog-weon of the Financial Service Commission met with Chairman and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM Korea) James Kim at his office in Seoul Government Complex on April 10. At the meeting, FSC Chairman Lee and AMCHAM Korea Chairman Kim discussed ways to attract more investments in Korea from global financial institutions and strengthen Koreas financial regulatory competitiveness. On March 25 this year, AMCHAM Korea published a special report titled Koreas Financial Hub Agenda as part of its efforts to promote Korea as a leading financial hub in the Asia-Pacific region. In this regard, AMCHAM Korea Chairman Kim expressed significant potential for Korea to be able to host growing numbers of Asia-Pacific regional headquarters of multinational corporations in the future. In this regard, FSC Chairman Lee expressed appreciations for AMCHAM Koreas interest and support for Koreas financial sector development and shared how Koreas financial sector innovation has been perceived by the international society and what the government plans to do next. According to the 39th edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 39), which was unveiled on March 26, 2026, Seoul and Busan ranked in the 8th and 23rd places, respectively, which demonstrates Koreas elevated financial hub status globally. In order to continue to boost Koreas financial sector competitiveness and facilitate an inflow of foreign investments, the FSC plans to work on a seamless implementation of the follow-up measureson omnibus account, English disclosure, dividend payout, etc.in accordance with the governments earlier announced roadmap (January 2026) for the inclusion in the MSCI developed markets index. In closing the meeting, FSC Chairman Lee and AMCHAM Korea Chairman Kim shared the same view on the need to maintain close cooperation and constructive dialogue between the two organizations in order to further help to strengthen Koreas financial hub status. * Please refer to
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Apr 09, 2026
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Apr 08, 2026
- Household Loans, March 2026
- In March 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans across all financial sectors increased KRW3.5 trillion (preliminary), growing at a faster pace compared with the previous month (up KRW2.9 trillion). (By Type) Home-backed mortgage loans rose KRW3.0 trillion, growing at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW4.1 trillion). The pace of growth in mortgage loans slowed down in both the banking (up KRW0.3 trillion up KRW0.003 trillion) and nonbanking (up KRW3.8 trillion up KRW3.0 trillion) sectors. Other types of loans rose KRW0.5 trillion, shifting back up from the decline of KRW1.2 trillion in the previous month, as credit loans (down KRW1.0 trillion down KRW0.2 trillion) dropped at a slower pace. (By Sector) In March 2026, household loans in the banking sector rose KRW0.5 trillion, turning back up from the decline of KRW0.4 trillion a month ago. Banks own mortgage loans (down KRW1.1 trillion down KRW1.5 trillion) declined at a faster pace, while policy-based mortgage loans (up KRW1.4 trillion up KRW1.5 trillion) edged up at a slightly faster pace. Other types of loans (up KRW0.5 trillion) shifted back up from the decline of KRW0.7 trillion a month ago. In the nonbanking sector, household loans edged up KRW3.0 trillion, growing at a slower pace compared with the previous month (up KRW3.3 trillion). Mutual finance businesses (up KRW3.1 trillion up KRW2.7 trillion) saw household loans growing more slowly, while insurance companies (up KRW0.2 trillion up KRW0.6 trillion) saw household loans rising more rapidly. Savings banks (down KRW0.1 trillion down KRW0.4 trillion) saw household loans falling at a faster pace, while specialized credit finance businesses (up KRW0.1 trillion up KRW0.1 trillion) saw household loans expanding at a similar level compared with the previous month. (Assessment) In March 2026, the outstanding balance of household loans (up KRW2.9 trillion up KRW3.5 trillion) expanded at a somewhat faster pace from a month before led by th