Korean FDI rises to a record high in 2017

Korean foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2017 rose to a record high of US $43.70 billion, up 11.8 percent from US $39.10 billion in the previous year. By industry, FDI in finance & insurance (up 47.5%) and wholesale & retail (up 64.9%) surged to a record high. FDI in real estate & renting fell (down 43.3%) after rising steadily since 2013. FDI in manufacturing also declined (down 3.4%). By type, greenfield investment, such as establishment of a foreign subsidiary, fell 2.1 percent, but mergers & acquisitions increased 33.6 percent.

By region, FDI rose in North America (up 6.6%), Asia (up 11.4%), Latin America (up 15.8%) and Europe (up 55.6%), but fell in the Middle East (down 40.1%) as construction investment declined (down 55.6%) in the region. By country, FDI increased in the US (up 12.8%), Cayman Islands (up 11.6%) and Hong Kong (up 90.2%), but dropped in China (down 11.9%) and Vietnam (down 17.5%).
Korean FDI is expected to grow due to increasing corporate investment in advanced technologies and newly developing markets. FDI is also expected to diversify in terms of sector and region.
Press-release at the Korea.net official web-site