Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged in the third quarter reached USD 22.9 billion, up 10.8% year on year, while FDI arrivals rose 30.6% to a USD 14.87 billion, a record high for the period. Shown is an employee on Aug. 5 sorting greenbacks at Hana Bank's counterfeit response center in Seoul's Jung-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Ji Yae

Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged in the third quarter reached USD 22.9 billion, up 10.8% year on year, while FDI arrivals surged 30.6% to USD 14.87 billion, a record high for the July-to-September period.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Oct. 7 said this in its report on FDI trends for the quarter, with the pledged amount being the third highest on record for the period.

The report said the continued FDI in advanced industries and clean energy was based on global confidence in the fundamentals of the Korean economy despite external uncertainty like prolonged tensions in the Middle East. Investment poured into high-tech sectors such as semiconductor materials, components and equipment and artificial intelligence data centers, with that in clean energy including offshore wind power also rising.

By country, FDI pledged by the U.S. rose 35.1% year on year to USD 6.69 billion. Investment inflows from the European Union jumped 93.7% and those from Japan 63%.

The ministry plans to expand investment opportunities in the country through the government's three major megaprojects and development of growth engines across five regional hubs and three special zones. It will hold diverse investment promotions and investor relations activity to attract more FDI.

ljyhwa@korea.kr