S. Korean corporate bond sales soar in Oct.

SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- Bond issuance by South Korean companies more than
doubled in October from a year earlier as firms tapped deeper into the debt
market to raise funds, the national securities depository said Tuesday.

Local firms sold a combined 3.9 trillion won (US$3.3 billion) of bonds last
month, up 122 percent from 1.8 trillion won last year, according to the Korea
Securities Depository (KSD).
Companies repaid 2.1 trillion won of debts last month, taking its net bond
issuance to 1.8 trillion won, the 12th-consecutive month their bond sales
exceeded repayment, the KSD said.
The upturn in bond issuance came as corporate demand for capital has risen since
the global financial crisis late last year, it said.
The October sales, however, were down 36 percent compared with the 6 trillion won
of debts sold in September, the KSD said.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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