Foreign direct investment in Seoul showed a moderate but meaningful improvement in 2012. The city attracted $5.8 billion last year, which accounts for 36 percent of Korea’s foreign direct investment.

The figure is a 41 percent increase from the year before, when $4.1 billion was invested in the city.

FDI has been rising since bottoming out in 2010.

Around $2.3 billion, the largest amount, or 40 percent of the total FDI was made by Japanese investors, who still struggle with the strong yen and power shortages in Japan; followed by Singapore with $510 million; Hong Kong with $170 million; and China at $130 million.

Investment by the debt-ridden EU nations decreased by around 22 percent, recording $160 million.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)