S. Korea's national debt hits $861.2bn in 2025
South Korea’s national debt rose to 1,304.5 trillion won (861.2 billion US dollars) in 2025, an increase of 129.4 trillion won from the previous year, the country’s finance ministry said on Monday, Qazinform News Agency cites Yonhap.
Central government debt made up most of the total at 1,268.1 trillion won, while local debt stood at 36.4 trillion won.
The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 49 percent from 46 percent in 2024, remaining just below the 2023 peak of 50.4 percent.
There may be concerns about the absolute size of the national debt, but the economy faced simultaneous internal and external shocks last year, including weakened domestic demand due to the impact of the emergency martial law and rapidly changing global trade conditions, said Hwang Soon-kywan, a senior ministry official.
The managed fiscal deficit totaled 104.2 trillion won, slightly lower than both the previous year and earlier projections.
Meanwhile, national assets grew 11.4 percent to 3,584 trillion won, supported in part by strong returns from the National Pension Service, which recorded an 18.8 percent gain.
Previously, it was reported South Korea’s food exports were up 4 precent in the first quarter on popularity of ramyeon, fruits.
