'SK Hynix Geumgo, one of the workplace Saemaul Geumgo institutions, rapidly increased its household loans through the first half of this year. SK Hynix Geumgo alone accounted for 7.4% of the total increase in household loans across all Saemaul Geumgo institutions during the first half. In contrast, Samsung Electronics Geumgo, which was a major driver of the sharp rise in household loans at Saemaul Geumgo last year, reduced its balance through aggregate volume management.
According to the financial sector on the 17th, SK Hynix Geumgo's household loan balance for the first half of this year reached 1.1183 trillion won, an increase of 178.6 billion won from the end of last year. The growth rate was 19%. Approximately 84% of the increase in household loans was for housing purchase funds. Real estate-secured loans increased by about 98.7 billion won over six months, more than doubling the growth rate. In contrast, credit loans increased by only 14.6 billion won during the same period.
The total increase in household loans across all Saemaul Geumgo institutions during the first half was approximately 2.4 trillion won, with SK Hynix Geumgo accounting for a share of 7.4%. Considering there are over 1,300 Saemaul Geumgo institutions nationwide, this figure is unparalleled.
Last year, SK Hynix Geumgo was a model student in managing household loans. The annual increase in household loans at SK Hynix Geumgo for 2025 amounted to only 44.9 billion won, less than 1% of the total increase across all Saemaul Geumgo institutions (approximately 530 billion won). In particular, the target growth rate for household loans at Saemaul Geumgo this year is set at 0%. For Saemaul Geumgo institutions that cannot increase their household loan balances at all, SK Hynix Geumgo's operations are inevitably perceived as a significant burden. If one institution sharply increases its household loans, it affects other institutions when the total volume is adjusted afterward.
Samsung Electronics Geumgo, which was problematic last year, managed household loans properly this year. As of the first half of this year, Samsung Electronics Geumgo's household loan balance stood at 4.59576 trillion won, a decrease of approximately 36.5 billion won from the end of last year.
Samsung Electronics Geumgo increased its household loans by about 500 billion won last year, accounting for roughly 10% of the total increase in household loans across all Saemaul Geumgo institutions. Samsung Electronics Geumgo also saw an increase of approximately 61.3 billion won in loans for housing purchase purposes over six months.
Saemaul Geumgo officials explained that the increase in household loans at SK Hynix Geumgo was concentrated at the beginning of the year. They anticipated that management efforts strengthened from the first half would yield results in the second half and year-end. In fact, SK Hynix Geumgo temporarily suspended its housing-secured loan products starting in April.
A Saemaul Geumgo official stated, "The Central Association continuously monitors household loans at large-scale Geumgo institutions." They added, "In the case of SK Hynix Geumgo, performance bonuses are typically used for loan repayments, so household loans should have decreased early in the year. However, this year, a booming stock market caused funds to shift into the stock market, which also contributed to a reduction in the scale of loan repayments compared to previous years."
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