▲ Korea Development Bank
Data has shown that the funds supplied by the Korea Development Bank (KDB) to venture companies and startups nearly halved over a span of four years.
In contrast, funding for large enterprises has surged, surpassing 20 trillion won.
According to data submitted by the KDB to Representative Min Byung-dug of the Democratic Party of Korea, who sits on the National Policy Committee, on September 30, the KDB provided 886 billion won to ventures and startups (small and medium-sized enterprises within seven years of foundation) last year.
This accounts for a mere 0.98 percent of last year's total funding supply of 90.5539 trillion won.
Comparing 2021 and last year, funding dropped by 1.0279 trillion won (53.7 percent) from 1.9139 trillion won.
The proportion of venture and startup companies in the total fund supply fell by 1.51 percentage points from 2.49 percent.
During this period, the KDB's overall fund supply volume grew by 13.5981 trillion won (17.7 percent) from 76.9558 trillion won to 90.5539 trillion won.
While the overall fund supply pie grew larger, financial support for ventures and startups actually shrank.
Entering this year, out of the KDB's total fund supply of 61.4642 trillion won, venture and startup funding stood at just 482.7 billion won (0.79 percent) as of the end of last month.
On the other hand, the volume and proportion of funding directed toward large enterprises have been steadily expanding.
The funding amounts increased annually from 16.0741 trillion won in 2021 to 17.589 trillion won in 2022, 19.3416 trillion won in 2023, 19.9811 trillion won in 2024, and 22.8864 trillion won in 2025, growing by 6.8123 trillion won over four years.
The proportion of total funding occupied by large enterprises also rose by 4.4 percentage points, from 20.9 percent in 2021 to 25.3 percent in 2025.
In particular, fund supply expanded significantly toward the top 10 large enterprise groups based on total assets.
Following 8.6576 trillion won in 2023, funding surpassed 10 trillion won, reaching 9.2578 trillion won in 2024 and 10.8922 trillion won last year.
By large enterprise group based on last year's figures, Samsung Group received the largest amount at 3.13 trillion won, followed by Hanwha (1.3983 trillion won), SK (1.3255 trillion won), Hyundai Motor (1.0559 trillion won), HD Hyundai (1.0087 trillion won), POSCO (912.8 billion won), GS (854.3 billion won), LG (687.2 billion won), Lotte (438.1 billion won), and Nonghyup (81.3 billion won).
Notably, funds supplied to Samsung skyrocketed about 7.5-fold in a single year, jumping from 420 billion won in 2024 to 3.13 trillion won last year.
This is interpreted as the result of Samsung Electronics utilizing the KDB's low-interest loan program for semiconductor facility investments.
The KDB explained, "Funding to large enterprises increased as we strengthened the promotion of cutting-edge strategic industries such as semiconductors. Meanwhile, for ventures and startups, we have been supporting them through a two-track approach utilizing indirect investment and on-lending alongside loans and direct investments, which is a factor in the apparent decrease in direct supply amounts."
Representative Min Byung-dug emphasized, "Policy finance should not merely stop at scaling up already-grown enterprises, but must act as a priming water in areas where private finance fails to provide sufficient supply."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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