Corporate direct financing in South Korea increased by 6.8% in April from March, reaching KRW20.23tr (USD15.3bn), according to data from the Financial Supervisory Service. This increase was primarily driven by bond sales, which rose by 7.8% on-month to KRW20.15tr, while stock sales decreased significantly by 67.1% to KRW82.1bn. The value of outstanding corporate bonds as of the end of April was KRW630.15tr, a slight increase of 0.2% from the previous month. Conversely, the issuance of commercial paper and short-term bonds by local companies decreased by 5.4% from March, totaling KRW111.85tr in April.