Foreign direct investment, or FDI, into South Korea exceeded $10 billion for the first time on the back of robust investment from China, according to figures from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

During the first half of this year, FDI volume stood at just over $10 billion in terms of the amount reported as of June 24. The figure reflects a 39.7 percent increase from the same period in 2013 and is the largest amount recorded for the first half of a year.

The amount of FDI that was actually wired to local banks also increased to stand at $6.7 billion, posting a 57 percent surge from the first half of last year. Most of the investment appeared to come from China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, as these countries accounted for about 23 percent of the FDI that flowed into South Korea.