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FDI pledges to Korea up 9% in H1: data

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By Yonhap
  • Published KST
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources building at Government Complex Sejong / Korea Times file

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources building at Government Complex Sejong / Korea Times file

Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges to Korea rose 9.1 percent on-year in the first six months of 2026 on the back of growing global confidence in the country's cutting-edge industries, data showed Friday.

The country received $14.28 billion in FDI commitments in the January-June period, up from $13 billion a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

The amount of investment that actually arrived in the country also shot up 42.6 percent to $10.73 billion.

"Amid the growing downward pressure on global investment activities following the Middle East geopolitical issues, it was notable that both FDI pledges and arrivals increased," the industry ministry said.

"This indicates the projects pledged earlier are being implemented, with new investment also flowing into the country on the back of the trust in Korea's supply chain in cutting-edge industries and innovation ecosystem," it added.

By sector, the manufacturing industry attracted $3.81 billion in investment pledges in the first half, down 28.4 percent from the same period in 2025 due to a decrease in investment in the chemical and electronics industries.

Investment in machinery and medical instruments, on the other hand, saw FDI pledges more than triple to $870 million.

The service industry saw a 27.9 percent rise in FDI pledges to $9.07 billion, led by the finance and property sectors.

By country, investment pledges from the United States and China fell 2.5 percent and 18.6 percent, respectively, on-year in the first half to $3.05 billion and $1.48 billion.

Investments from countries categorized as "others," including Singapore and Britain, on the other hand, soared 65.4 percent to $6.2 billion, leading the overall gains.

The industry ministry vowed to continue efforts to maintain coordination with foreign companies while working closely with related ministries to establish a stable investment environment.