SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Foreign direct investment (FDI) in South Korea fell 18 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of this year due to uncertainties at home and abroad, government data showed Wednesday.
The reported FDI totaled 20.65 billion U.S. dollars in the January-September period, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The double-digit reduction was attributed to the U.S. tariffs imposition and political uncertainties at home, triggered by the former ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol's botched martial law bid last December.
The FDI in the domestic manufacturing industry dropped 29.1 percent to 8.73 billion dollars in the cited period.
Foreign investment in the electric and electronic sector plunged 36.8 percent to 2.85 billion dollars, and investment in the chemical engineering segment slumped 13.8 percent to 2.43 billion dollars.
The FDI in the local service industry declined 6.9 percent to 11.11 billion dollars during the nine-month period.
Investment in the distribution sector more than doubled to 2.08 billion dollars, but foreign investment in the finance and insurance sector tumbled 43.6 percent to 4.13 billion dollars.
Direct investment from the United States surged 58.9 percent to 4.95 billion dollars, while those from the European Union (EU) and Japan retreated in double digits to 2.51 billion dollars and 3.62 billion dollars each.
Greenfield investment, which involves factory construction and employment, decreased 6.1 percent to 17.77 billion dollars, while the merger and acquisition investment dived 54.0 percent to 2.88 billion dollars. ■
