Foreign direct investment(FDI) in South Korea surpassed 34-point-five billion dollars and hit a record high last year. 

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Tuesday, FDI commitments reached a record 34-point-57 billion dollars last year, up five-point-seven percent from a year earlier. 

Pledges that actually arrived in the country, however, slipped 24-point-two percent on-year to 14-point-eight billion dollars. 

By sector, manufacturing attracted nearly 14-point-five billion dollars in 2024, up 21-point-six percent from a year earlier, while the services industry drew 17-point-eight billion dollars, up zero-point-three percent on-year. 

FDI pledges from Japan soared 375 percent on-year in 2024, while the figure for China came to 266 percent.

But investment from the United States slipped 14-point-six percent to five-point-two billion dollars. 

The ministry said the country saw record foreign investment last year despite challenging economic conditions at home and abroad, showing that global investors continue to trust the fundamentals of the South Korean economy regardless of the recent domestic situation.