ΆΓ  Foreign Direct Investment Down 48 Pct

Korea Times 2001. 3. 7   

Foreign direct investment stood at $329 million in February, down 47.5 percent from the same period last year, the Commerce, Industry and Energy Ministry said yesterday.

The number of cases, however, rose 5.9 percent to 268 last month which was the first in recent years that the foreign direct investments had fallen by such a large margin.

About 96 percent, or 257 cases, denoted investments less than $5 million, while those ranging from $5 million to $10 million numbered four, or 1.5 percent, ministry officials said. There were seven investments in the $10 million-$100 million range.

By industry, investment in manufacturing came to 28 percent of the total, up 4.9 percent, while those in the service sector accounted for 72 percent, the officials said.

By investment type, establishing new companies, participating in capital increases and securing new shares accounted for $298 million, or 90.6 percent of the total; followed by acquiring stocks $16 million, or 4.9 percent, and long-term loans 4.5 percent.