FDI pledges to Seoul top $10 bln for first time in 2019
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- The amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged to Seoul exceeded US$10 billion for the first time last year as the popularity of so-called K-beauty products drove investment in manufacturers, the city government said Monday.
Seoul received a record US$10.1 billion worth of FDI commitments in 2019, compared with the previous record of $9.6 billion in 2016, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
From the previous year, the amount of FDI pledges increased 12 percent, or $1.1 billion.
The city said the growth was due to both new investors and increases by existing investors.
New investment jumped 16 percent on-year to $3.7 billion, while that of existing investors rose 11 percent in the same period to $6 billion.
By sector, manufacturers saw investment nearly triple to $2 billion, helped by the growing popularity of Korean cosmetics, or K-beauty products, according to the city.
Investment in the service sector dipped 3 percent on-year to $8.1 billion but continued to account for the majority of FDI in the country's capital.
The city government said it plans to open a help desk to help foreign investors and hold 10 rounds of overseas investor relations meetings to attract more investment.

A composite image showing K-beauty events and booths at a cosmetics exhibition held in the United States (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
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