The amount of foreign securities held by major South Korean institutions grew in the third quarter from a year earlier due mainly to a surge in South Korean investment in foreign bonds, central bank data showed Friday.

As of the end of September, the value of foreign securities held by South Korea's institutional investors came to $167.8 billion, up 51 percent from $111.2 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Bank of Korea (BOK).

Quarter-on-quarter, the value of foreign securities held by South Korea's institutional investors rose 12.8 percent from $148.79 billion, it said.

Outstanding overseas bonds held by local institutions came to $81.44 billion at the end of September, compared with $44.65 billion in the same period last year.

The amount of foreign stocks held by South Korean institutions jumped to $46.65 billion from $35.82 billion during the cited period.

Foreign securities are composed of overseas stocks and bonds as well as Korean papers.

Investment in Korean papers by local institutions came to $39.77 billion at the end of September, up from $30.76 billion in the same period last year.

By investor, foreign securities held by local asset management firms came to $77.63 billion, compared with $55.1 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, foreign securities held by local securities companies came to $11.14 billion at the end of September, compared with $7.6 billion a year earlier. (Yonhap)