Overseas construction orders clinched by South Korean builders jumped more than 30 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier on a significant rise in the number of orders for industrial plants, the government said Monday.

In the first three months of the year, overseas orders reached $17.6 billion, up 31 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The amount marks the second highest on record for the January-March period.

Overseas orders for South Korean industrial plants amounted to $16.2 billion in the period, accounting for 92 percent of all orders won by South Korean builders.

The amount also marks a 68.2 percent surge from the same period last year.

“Such a rise is believed to demonstrate the global competitiveness of our firms that are equipped with world-class engineering, procurement and construction capabilities,” the ministry said in a press release. (Yonhap)