Direct financing by South Korean companies slid 3.1 percent in the first six months of the year from a year earlier due mainly to a drop in corporate bond sales, the financial watchdog said Sunday.
Local companies secured a total of 58.1 trillion won (US$56.4 billion) during the January-June period by selling stocks and debts, compared with 60 trillion won over the same period last year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).