S. Korean corporate bond sales up sharply in Nov.

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- Bond sales by South Korean companies increased sharply
in November from a year earlier as firms increasingly tapped into the debt market
to raise working capital, the nation's securities depository said Wednesday.
Local companies excluding banks issued a combined 4.96 trillion won (US$4.3
billion) of debts last month, up 23 percent from November last year, according to
the Korea Securities Depository (KSD).
Companies repaid 3.41 trillion won in bonds last month, taking the total net debt
issuance to 1.55 trillion won, the 13th-consecutive month that bond sales have
exceeded repayment, the KSD said.
The upturn in debt sales came as corporate demand for capital has risen since the
global financial rout late last year, it said.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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