Verified data from Yonhap News show that average rates on new household loans in South Korea fell to 4.43 percent in April while mortgage-specific rates declined 0.03 percentage points, ending a six-month upward trend that began in October. Overall new bank loan rates and corporate loan rates remained unchanged at 4.2 percent. The Bank of Korea held its benchmark rate steady for the seventh consecutive meeting, and the government maintained stricter rules on home-purchase loans.