Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges to Korea rose 9.1 percent on-year in the first six months of 2026 on the back of growing global confidence in the country's cutting-edge industries, data showed Friday. The country received $14.28 billion in FDI commitments in the January-June period, up from $13 billion a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The amount of investment that actually arrived in the country also shot up 42.6 percent to $10.73 billion. "Amid the growing downward pressure on global investment activities following the Middle East geopolitical issues, it was notable that both FDI pledges and arrivals increased," the industry ministry said. "This indicates the projects pledged earlier are being implemented, with new investment also flowing into the country on the back of the trust in Korea's supply chain in cutting-edge industries and innovation ecosystem," it added. By sector, the manufacturing industry attracted $3.81 billion in investment pledges in the first half, down 28.4 percent from the same period in 2025 due to a decrease in inv