SEOUL, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Samsung Group was named South Korea's top borrower among 42 local conglomerates under bank watch, financial watchdog data showed Tuesday.
A total of 42 business groups were designated as "primary debtor groups" that had total borrowings of more than 2.56 trillion won (1.7 billion U.S. dollars) and outstanding bank credit of over 1.50 trillion won (995.7 million dollars) at the end of 2025, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.
It marked the highest since 2014 when the same number of 42 groups was selected. The debtor groups are required to undergo annual financial health evaluations by their main credit banks due to high levels of debt.
Samsung Group rose to the top spot in eight years, shifting up from third place the previous year. It was followed by Hyundai Motor Group, SK, Lotte and LG.
Compared to the list of 41 groups the previous year, four new groups were added while three groups were removed from the watch list.
Bank credit, extended to the 42 primary debtor groups, totaled 386.9 trillion won (256.8 billion dollars) at the end of 2025, while their total borrowings reached 743.9 trillion won (493.8 billion dollars). ■
