Still, year-on-year, the fourth quarter figure marked a 4.5 percent gain.

By purpose, loans extended for companies' operating expenses were down 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter to 589.9 trillion won from a quarter earlier, but up 0.2 percent from a year earlier, the bank said.

Loans for facility investments rose 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter to 395.6 trillion won from a quarter earlier, and up 11.5 percent from a year earlier, it said.

By sectors, loans to services companies jumped 8.5 percent year-on-year to 569.1 trillion won at the end of December. Loans to manufacturers came to 324.3 trillion won at the end-December, unchanged from a year earlier.

But borrowings by construction firms fell 1.7 percent on-year to 37.7 trillion won, the data showed. (Yonhap)