Data released on Tuesday indicates that direct financing by South Korean companies saw a substantial month-over-month increase in April, primarily driven by a surge in bond issuance.

Figures show that South Korean firms raised a total of 22.62 trillion won (approximately $14.94 billion) through the issuance of stocks and bonds in April. This represents an increase of 2.63 trillion won, or 13.2%, compared to the previous month.

Corporate stock issuance in April decreased by 26.6 billion won, or 6%, from the previous month, totaling 413 billion won. In contrast, corporate bond issuance during the same period rose by 2.66 trillion won, or 13.6%, reaching 22.20 trillion won.

The latest data reveals that the total outstanding corporate bond balance in South Korea stood at 745.28 trillion won as of the end of April. This figure represents a decrease of 2.04 trillion won, or 0.3%, from the previous month.