Seoul: South Korea's overseas construction orders surged to an 11-year high in 2025, driven by large-scale energy projects, such as a nuclear power plant deal in the Czech Republic, government data showed Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Infrastructure and Transport, the country's offshore construction orders totaled US$47.27 billion last year, marking the highest level since 2014, when the figure stood at $66 billion.
The tally also represents a 27.4 percent increase from $37.11 billion in 2024. European orders accounted for $20.16 billion, or 42.6 percent of the total, soaring nearly fourfold on-year thanks to the Dukovany nuclear power plant construction project in the Czech Republic valued at $18.72 billion.
Orders from the Middle East, however, dropped 35.8 percent to $11.8 billion, while those from North America and the Asia-Pacific regions together fell 10 percent to $6.4 billion. African orders nearly tripled to $680 million. By country, the Czech Republic ranked first with $18.73 billion in orders, followed by the United States with $5.79 billion, Iraq with $3.46 billion, and Qatar and Saudi Arabia with $2.85 billion each, the ministry said.