Foreign direct investment in S.Korea grows 4.6% in 2011
2012-01-12 15:47:35
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in South Korea grew 4.6 percent last year from a year earlier due to surging investment from advanced nations, a government report showed Thursday.
FDI reached 13.67 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, up 4.6 percent from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
Soaring investment from advanced nations led to last year's FDI growth. Direct investment from the European Union (EU) members expanded 57.4 percent on-year to 5.03 billion dollars in 2011, with investment from the United States and Japan growing 20.2 percent and 9.6 percent respectively.
Direct investment from China surged 57.2 percent on-year to 651 million dollars in 2011, but investment from the Middle East shrank 46.2 percent on-year to 92 million dollars last year as the region's sentiment toward overseas investment remained fragile, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, the ministry expected the FDI to decrease to around 13 billion dollars in 2012, citing risks factors such as the deepening European fiscal crisis, and concerns over the double-dip recession of the world economy.