Inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged to Korea increased by 7.5 percent year-on-year to a record
high of US $32.7 billion in 2023.
By industry, inbound FDI in manufacturing decreased by 4.5 percent year-on-year to US $11.9 billion as a result
of base effect. In contrast, investment in the service sector grew by 7.3 percent from the previous year to
$17.8 billion, led by investment pledges in the financial and insurance sector by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund.
By country, investments from France jumped by 447.8 percent, totaling US $ 1.2 billion, while FDI pledges from the EU in general decreased by 17.0 percent to US $ 6.2 billion. FDI from the US and Japan declined by 29.4 percent to $6.1 billion and 14.7 percent to $1.3 billion, respectively. Investments from China and other regions including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia increased by 65.6 percent to US $3.1 billion.