The disposable income-to-debt ratio of households in South Korea continues to rise amid the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the latest report by the Bank of Korea(BOK) on Wednesday, household debt totaled one-point-611 quadrillion won at the end of the first quarter, up four-point-six percent from a year earlier. Mortgage loans surged by the biggest margin of five-point-seven percent.

The disposable income-to-debt ratio peaked at 163-point-one percent, the highest since the central bank began a related tally in 2007.

Loans taken out by businesses totaled one-point-229 quadrillion won at the end of March, up eleven-point-six percent from the previous year.

The gross national product(GDP)-to-combined debt ratio of households and businesses jumped to 201-point-one percent, surpassing 200 percent for the first time.