Overseas branches of South Korean banks saw their combined net profit edge up 0.4 percent on-year to $988 million in 2019, data showed Wednesday.

The figure accounted for 7.9 percent of the combined net profit of banks operating in South Korea last year, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).

The combined interest income at 195 overseas branches gained 9.4 percent on-year to $2.06 billion, the data showed.

Their average non-performing loan ratio stood at 0.63 percent at the end of last year, compared with an average ratio of 0.77 percent for banks operating in South Korea.

At the end of last year, the total assets of overseas branches stood at $133.69 billion, up 16.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data. (Yonhap)