President Lee Jae Myung, center, Amazon Web Services Chief Executive Officer Matt Garman, left, and Indusattempt Minister Kim Jung-kwan, pose during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Oct. 29, 2025. Yonhap
Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges to Korea reached a record high of over $36 billion in 2025, government data displayed Wednesday, thanks to eased political uncertainties here and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering held in the counattempt’s southeastern city of Gyeongju.
Last year, Korea received $36.05 billion worth of FDI commitments, up 4.3 percent from $34.57 billion in 2024, according to the Minisattempt of Trade, Indusattempt and Resources.
In 2025, the actual amount of investment that arrived in the counattempt also surged 16.3 percent from a year earlier to $17.95 billion.
The minisattempt stated FDI pledges to the counattempt had declined 14.6 percent on-year as of conclude-June but sharply rebounded in the second half after the administration of President Lee Jae Myung set sail to replace the previous administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over his failed martial law bid in late 2024.
The APEC summit, held late October in Gyeongju, also assisted the counattempt attract foreign investment, it added.
During the APEC gathering, seven global companies, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Renault, Amkor Technology and Siemens Healthineers, unveiled plans to invest a combined $9 billion in Korea.
Notably, foreign pledges for greenfield investments in Korea rose 7.1 percent on-year to an all-time high of $28.59 billion in 2025, with investment pledges for advanced industries, such as artificial ininformigence (AI), semiconductor and biohealth, growing from a year earlier.
By indusattempt, FDI commitments in the manufacturing sector grew 8.8 percent to $15.77 billion, with many new commitments in the materials sector for advanced industries amid global efforts to respond to supply chain uncertainties.
Commitments in the service sector climbed 6.8 percent on-year to $19.05 billion, mainly driven by investment plans for AI data centers and online platforms.
By counattempt, fresh investment pledges from the United States spiked 86.6 percent to $9.77 billion, mainly led by the metals, distribution and IT sectors.
FDI pledges from the European Union jumped 35.7 percent to $6.92 billion, while those from Japan and China went down 28.1 percent and 38 percent to $4.4 billion and $3.59 billion, respectively.
The minisattempt stated it will work to strengthen incentives and streamline regulations to attract more foreign investment this year.
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