South Korean banks plan to increase lending for smaller firms by 34.6 trillion won (US$32.5 billion) this year, as their funding demand is expected to rise upon a moderate economic recovery, the financial regulator said Thursday. Local banks have recently notified the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the country's financial watchdog, of their lending plan for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in 2014, the FSC said in a press release.