SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's corporate bond sale slightly fell last year owing to weaker funding demand from financial companies, financial watchdog data showed Wednesday.

People visit the Main Office Building of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, June 8, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

The issuance of corporate bonds inched down 0.7 percent to 276.25 trillion won (191.8 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.

Financial companies' bond sale dipped 4.0 percent to 203.68 trillion won, but the issuance of asset-backed securities jumped 20.0 percent to 19.44 trillion won.

Bonds sold by industrial companies gained 6.5 percent to 53.13 trillion won last year.

Outstanding corporate bonds stood at 756.88 trillion won at the end of 2025, up 9.3 percent from a year earlier.

Equity financing, including initial public offerings and rights issues, totaled 13.71 trillion won in 2025, up 55.4 percent compared to the previous year. (1 won equals 0.00069 U.S. dollars)