Inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged to Korea soared 54 percent year-on-year to hit a record high of US $17.1 billion in the first half of 2023.
By region, FDI pledges from the US rose 24 percent year-on-year to US $3.66 billion and investment pledged from the EU (including the UK) increased 145 percent to US $4.26 billion. FDI pledges from China rose 15 percent to US $1.02 billion and Japanese investment pledged to Korea fell 33 percent to US $0.6 billion.
By industry, inbound FDI in manufacturing rose 146 percent year-on-year to US $7.63 billion and investment in services increased 11 percent to US $8.48 billion.