The government borrowed the second-largest amount of temporary funds on record from the central bank last year through its overdraft facility, data showed Wednesday. According to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK) submitted to Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party, the government's temporary borrowings from the BOK totaled 164.5 trillion won ($113.65 billion) in 2025, including 5 trillion won drawn in December. The figure was slightly lower than the record 173 trillion won posted in 2024. In detail, the government borrowed 88.6 trillion won in the first half of 2025, as the country was reeling from political turmoil following the martial law declaration in December 2024, and another 75.9 trillion won in the second half. The government, accordingly, paid 158.09 billion won in interest to the BOK last year, the second-highest annual interest payment on record, following 209.28 billion won in 2024, the data showed. The overdraft facility allows the government to temporarily borrow funds from the central bank to cover short-term mismatches between revenue and spendi