Doha: South Korea's overseas direct investment shot up 36 percent in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, according to the data released by the Ministry of Finance and Economy on Tuesday, led by the financial and insurance sector.

According to Qatar News Agency, the combined amount of overseas direct investment made by South Korean businesses came to $21.74 billion in the January-March period, rising sharply from $15.96 billion posted a year earlier, maintaining on-year growth since the third quarter of 2025.

The finance ministry attributed the growth to South Korean businesses' efforts to diversify their global portfolios amid a boom in the global stock market.

By sector, overseas investment in the financial and insurance industry shot up 63 percent to $13.38 billion. The information and communication sector also saw the figure expand more than threefold over the period to $1.19 billion, the data showed. That in the manufacturing industry, on the other hand, shed 5.7 percent to $3.4 billion.

By destination, investment in the United States doubled to $10.15 billion, while that in Luxembourg rose 97.9 percent to $2.08 billion. Investment in Singapore also more than doubled to $1.05 billion, the data showed.