The central bank says South Korea ranks second only to the U.S. in per capita credit card issuance. The Bank of Korea's report is based on statistics released by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) late last year. The report says some 1,960 credit cards were issued for every 1,000 people in the country, a per capita ranking that was followed by Japan, Canada and Britain. A BOK official says one reason why European countries issue less credit cards is because issuance standards are stricter and more people there rely on debit cards as a means of payment.