SEOUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's industrial lending grew slower in the fourth quarter of last year owing to domestic political uncertainty, central bank data showed Friday.
Debt, owed by all industries to the deposit-taking financial institutions, amounted to 1,962.2 trillion won (1.36 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of December, up 3.3 trillion won from three months earlier, according to the Bank of Korea.
It was sharply down from a growth of 17.4 trillion won in the July-September quarter as President Yoon Suk-yeol's botched martial law attempt raised political uncertainty.
Yoon's martial law imposition in early December was revoked by the National Assembly, before Yoon was impeached by the parliament and indicted under detention by the prosecution as a suspected ringleader of insurrection.
Loan to manufacturers diminished 1.6 trillion won during the October-December quarter, turning downward from an expansion of 8.8 trillion won in the third quarter.
Lending to construction companies decreased 1.2 trillion won in the fourth quarter after falling 100 billion won in the previous quarter.
Loan demand from service companies climbed 3.9 trillion won in the fourth quarter, slower than an increase of 7.5 trillion won in the prior quarter.
The industrial lending for operating funds retreated 3.4 trillion won, but the lending for facilities' funds swelled 6.7 trillion won in the cited quarter. (1 South Korean won equals 0.00069 USD) ■