Foreign direct investment in South Korea topped 20-billion U.S. dollars for the fourth consecutive year in 2018... thanks to easing geopolitical risks on the Korean Peninsula and a boom in the country's semiconductor and petrochemical sectors.<br />Kim Ji-yeon reports.<br /> <br />The amount of foreign direct investment reached a record-high of more than 23-billion U.S. dollars so far this year... according to data by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy released on Wednesday.<br />The lion's share of FDI came from the European Union, which rose by more than 24-percent from last year to seven-point-one-billion dollars.<br />The second highest contributor was the U.S.,... which soared 37-percent on-year to 5-point-one-billion dollars... while investments from China saw the biggest percentage increase,... jumping up by a staggering 252-percent on-year to 2-point-6-billion dollars.<br />By sector, those related to the manufacturing sector including machinery and equipment as well as those related to telecommunications increased steadily.<br />The ministry pointed to a number of factors that have contributed to the rising level of FDI.<br />It cited diffused tensions in the Korean Peninsula through increased inter-Korean cooperation and North Korea-U.S. dialogue.<br />It also pointed to Korea's high credit ratings... as well as a boom in Korea's core industries related to semiconductors, displays and the petrochemical sector.<br />The ministry says investments related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution including those in the biotech, mobile finance and digital contents have also expanded.<br />Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News. <br />
