Corporate direct financing in South Korea surged 28.5% in January from the previous month, reaching KRW24tr trillion won (USD16.7bn), driven by higher stock and bond sales, data from the Financial Supervisory Service showed. Initial public offerings tripled, pushing stock issuance to KRW739bn from KRW486bn in December. Corporate bond sales rose 27.9% to KRW23.29tr, reflecting strong demand for debt financing. As of end-January, outstanding corporate bonds stood at KRW697.23tr, up KRW4.5tr from a year earlier. The rise in direct financing comes amid improving market conditions and investor appetite for new issuances.