SEOUL-- South Korean institutions' investment in foreign securities rose 5.1 percent in the second quarter as they increased their holdings of foreign stocks and bonds, central bank data showed Tuesday.

The combined value of foreign securities held by institutional investors came to US$381.1 billion as of end-June, up $18.5 billion from three months earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

Foreign securities include stocks, bonds and so-called Korean paper, which refers to foreign currency-denominated securities issued by the South Korean government, banks and companies in overseas markets.

Investments in foreign stocks rose $15.5 billion from three months earlier to $162.4 billion in the second quarter.

Investments in overseas bonds also went up $4.7 billion to $181.2 billion in the cited period, the BOK said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency