Rates for household loans inch up in January SEOUL , Feb . 27 ( Yonhap ) -- Bank lending rates on new household loans edged up in January , while interest rates paid by banks on new deposits fell , central bank data showed Monday . The average interest rates on fresh household loans extended by local banks came to 3 . 39 percent in January , up 0 . 10 percentage point from the previous month , according to the Bank of Korea ( BOK ) . The BOK data came amid South Korea ' s efforts to tackle rising household debt . The country ' s outstanding household credit , which is composed of household loans and credit card spending , jumped to 1 , 344 . 3 trillion won ( US $ 1 . 18 trillion ) in the October - December period , up 11 . 7 percent from 1 , 203 . 1 trillion won a year earlier . The average interest rates on new mortgages came to 3 . 16 percent in January , up 0 . 03 percentage point from a month earlier , according to the BOK . The average interest rates on all new loans stood at 3 . 51 percent in January , up 0 . 07 percentage point from a month earlier . The rates on new corporate loans came to 3 . 55 percent , up 0 . 01 percentage point from the previous month . The average rates paid by banks on fresh deposits fell 0 . 05 percentage point to 1 . 51 percent over the cited period . The gap between the interest rates paid to and by banks came to 2 . 00 percent in January , up from 1 . 88 percent in December . entropy @ yna . co . kr ( END )