South Korea's overseas direct investment rises 32.3% in Q2 2026, led by finance and communication sectors

By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's overseas direct investment rose 32.3 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, data showed Tuesday, led by the financial and communication sectors.

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

The figure has posted 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 South 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, followed by Japan at $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.