Foreign entities, including foreign-invested companies, owned 0.2 percent or 231.42 square kilometers of South Korean land worth 33.29 trillion won as of the end of September, the government reported Thursday.
They are about 80 times the size of Yeouido, Seoul's main business and investment banking district, according to the report of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The figure represents a 1.7 percent increase from 227.44 square kilometers of land owned by foreign investors and companies at the end of March.
By nationality, Americans owned 123.46 square kilometers or 53.4 percent of the total foreign ownership, followed by Europeans with 24.06 square kilometers or 10.4 percent, Japanese with 17.22 square kilometers or 7.4 percent and Chinese with 11.97 square kilometers or 5.2 percent.
By region, Gyeonggi Province accounted for 17.3 percent of the total foreign ownership, trailed by South Jeolla Province (15.8 percent), North Gyeongsang Province (15.5 percent), South Chungcheong Province (9.1 percent), and Gangwon Province (9 percent).
The comparable figure stood at 6.7 percent for the country's southern island of Jeju Province. In recent years, Chinese investors have flocked to the resort island.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
