Foreign direct investment(FDI) pledges made to South Korea during the first nine months of this year surpassed 18 billion dollars, the second-highest to be recorded to date despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Thursday, foreigners pledged investment of 18-point-21 billion dollars from January to September, jumping 41-point-three percent from a year earlier.

The amount of pledged investments that were actually made totaled eleven-point-74 billion dollars as of the end of the third quarter, up 40-point-nine percent, also the second-highest on record.

A ministry official said notable investments came from the digital infrastructure sector amid rising post-pandemic demand, as well as the areas of renewable energy, vaccine and antibody treatment.

FDI pledges in the service sector surged 60-point-eight percent on-year to 14-point-32 billion dollars, while those in the manufacturing sector slipped 18-point-one percent to three-point-09 billion.