South Korea's external debt has reached a new high, mainly due to increased investment in Korean bonds by foreign investors.

However, the government and the Bank of Korea(BOK) believe indicators on fiscal health, such as the percentage of short-term foreign debt, are all in good condition.

According to central bank data released Friday, South Korea's external liabilities stood at 566 billion dollars as of the end of March, up 21 billion dollars from late December.

The country's external credit also rose to over one trillion dollars during the same period.

A BOK official said that both figures hit all-time highs at the end of March and explained the increase in external debt is due to higher demand for domestic bonds by foreign investors, calling it a positive move.