The government borrowed more than 91 trillion won from the Bank of Korea (BOK) in the first half of the year to fill its fiscal shortfall.

According to the BOK data submitted to Rep. Yang Boo-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party on Sunday, the government borrowed 91-point-six trillion won in temporary loans from the central bank during the first six months of the year.

The government repaid 71-point-seven trillion won of the loans, with 19-point-nine trillion won outstanding at the end of June.

The total of the temporary loans marks the largest in 14 years since 2011. The first-half number is even larger than the comparable figure of 73-point-three trillion won for 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The interest on the loans is expected to reach 129-point-one billion won.

BOK's temporary loan, similar to an overdraft account for private individuals with commercial banks, is a system used by the government to address temporary fund shortages.