South Korean companies' idle cash hit a record high in the second quarter, supported by stronger semiconductor exports and improved corporate earnings. According to Sina Finance, data released by the Bank of Korea on Wednesday showed that the net financial assets of non-financial companies reached 67.1 trillion won at the end of June, up sharply from 20.8 trillion won three months earlier.

It was the highest quarterly reading since the Bank of Korea began compiling the data in 2009. Household net financial assets fell to 60.7 trillion won in the second quarter from 79.2 trillion won in the first quarter, partly because of lower income and higher home-buying spending.

At the end of June, the total financial assets held by South Korean households and nonprofit institutions stood at 6,930.2 trillion won, up 513 trillion won from the previous quarter. Their liabilities rose 28.2 trillion won from the previous quarter to 2,495.8 trillion won.

The data also showed that the household financial assets-to-liabilities ratio was 2.78 at the end of June. Household debt accounted for 81.1% of GDP, down from 85.3% three months earlier.