The top 100 companies in South Korea saw their overseas sales inch up in the third quarter this year despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, data from the Federation of Korean Industries showed Tuesday.

According to the data, the companies marked a combined 181.9 trillion won ($164 billion) in revenue from their overseas operations, up 1.6 percent from a year ago. Compared to the second quarter, it is an increase by 24.1 percent.

The increase came from a rise in demand from major exporting countries such as the United States and China, which have eased COVID-19 restrictions and adopted stimulus measures, the FKI said.

Overseas sales surged for electric and electronics firms, while those for automakers, steel, energy and chemical firms dropped. 

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)