Loan interest weighs heavier on S. Korean households in Q2

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- Loan interest weighed heavier on South Korean
households in the second quarter as the global economic downturn withered their
income, the central bank said Tuesday.

During the April-June period, local households paid an average 65,932 won
(US$55.3) per month in loan interest, or 2 percent of nominal monthly income,
according to data by the Bank of Korea.
The average monthly income of Korean households stood at 3.3 million won during
the cited period, down 0.1 percent from the same period last year, the bank said.
The ratio of interest payment to income in the second quarter marked the highest
level since the central bank began to compile related data in 2003. The ratio
came in at 1.7 percent and 1.6 percent in 2008 and 2007, respectively, according
to the bank.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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