Yonhap News Agency reported on August 18 that South Korea’s external debt rose to a record high, and the ratio of short-term external debt also rose to the highest level in the past 10 years. The Bank of Korea (Central Bank) and the government expressed their opinion that the risk of external debt is generally controllable.

According to the "International Investment Position Statement" released by the Bank of Korea on the 18th, as of the end of June, the ratio of South Korea's short-term foreign debt and foreign exchange reserves was 41.9%, an increase of 3.7 percentage points from the previous month, hitting the highest value since the second quarter of 2012 (45.6%). . External debt was US$662 billion, an increase of US$7.9 billion from the end of March this year, a record high.

The central bank pointed out that under the influence of the stronger dollar, major emerging economies have taken measures to deal with fluctuations in the foreign exchange market, but judging from the fact that South Korea's foreign exchange reserves have not decreased since July, the current situation will not lead to increased national credit risks. . The Ministry of Planning and Finance stated that, from the past foreign debt situation, solvency and other factors, South Korea's foreign debt risks are generally controllable at present.