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Korea's overseas financial assets hit record high in Q2: BOK

Published: 20 Aug. 2025, 14:24 Updated: 20 Aug. 2025, 15:50

An employee examines a $100 bill at Hana Bank’s Anti-Counterfeiting Response Center in central Seoul on Aug. 5. [NEWS1]

Korea's overseas financial assets reached a fresh high in the second quarter, driven by increased stock investments and investment returns, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The country's external financial assets stood at $2.682 trillion as of end-June, up $165 billion from three months earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It marks the highest amount ever, while the growth pace during the April-June period also marks the sharpest ever, the central bank said.

Of external financial assets, residents' securities investments rose by $112 billion on-quarter to also reach a new high of $1.13 trillion as of end-June.

Direct investment increased $26.4 billion from three months earlier, reaching $804.8 billion.

The country's net international investment position, however, fell by $53.6 billion from three months earlier to stand at $1.034 trillion as of end-June, as the external financial debt rose $219 billion from three months earlier to $1.651 trillion.

Despite the decline, Korea logged net overseas financial assets worth over 1 trillion won for the third consecutive quarter.

Yonhap