Korea's overseas direct investment goes up 32% in Q2

Korea’s overseas direct investment rose 32.3 percent in the second quarter of this year from a year earlier, led by the financial and communication sectors, data showed on Tuesday.

Overseas direct investment by Korea totaled $20.52 billion from April through June, up from $15.5 billion in the same period in 2025, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

The figure has posted an on-year growth since the third quarter of 2025.

By sector, overseas investment in the financial and insurance industry jumped 33.4 percent to $10.48 billion.

The Finance Ministry attributed the increase to Korean businesses’ efforts to diversify their global portfolios.

Overseas direct investment in manufacturing rose 3.2 percent on year to $3.57 billion.

Investment in the information and communication sector more than tripled to $2.73 billion, the data showed.

By destination, investment in the United States rose 53.6 percent to $8.86 billion, and investment in Japan increased to $2.46 billion, sharply up from $300 million a year earlier.

Investment in Luxembourg rose 14.2 percent to $1.59 billion, the latest findings showed.

Yonhap