SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's corporate revenue rebounded in the third quarter thanks to a semiconductor export boom driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) investment, central bank data showed Wednesday.

Revenue for 12,962 manufacturers and 13,105 non-manufacturers subject to external audit, excluding financial firms, gained 2.1 percent in the July-September quarter from three months earlier, turning around from a reduction of 0.7 percent in the previous quarter, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The rebound was attributable to the AI investment surge that led to a chip export boom.

Sales by manufacturers expanded 2.9 percent in the third quarter after retreating 1.7 percent in the previous quarter.

Revenue for non-manufacturers mounted 1.2 percent in the third quarter, faster than a growth of 0.3 percent in the second quarter.

Corporate profitability improved. The ratio of operating profit to revenue went up to 6.1 percent in the third quarter from 5.8 percent in the same quarter of 2024.

The ratio for manufacturers increased from 6.1 percent to 7.1 percent in the cited period, while the reading for non-manufacturers climbed from 5.9 percent to 9.1 percent.

The debt-to-equity ratio for domestic companies stood at 88.8 percent in the third quarter, down from 89.8 percent in the previous quarter.