U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement: Potential Economy-wide ... - USITC
U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement: Potential Economy-wide ... - USITC
U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement: Potential Economy-wide ... - USITC
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Box 6.1 Foreign investment in <strong>Korea</strong><br />
The United States is the world’s largest destination for FDI, with 2005 inbound direct investment stock of $1.6 trillion,<br />
representing 16 percent of total world<strong>wide</strong> inbound investment stock. Inbound FDI accounts for 13.0 percent of the<br />
U.S. GDP. <strong>Korea</strong>, with a smaller economy, registered $63.2 billion in inbound direct investment stock in 2005, equal<br />
to 8.0 percent of <strong>Korea</strong>’s GDP. 1<br />
United States and <strong>Korea</strong>: Investment data, 2005<br />
6-6<br />
<strong>Korea</strong> United States<br />
Inbound global investment stock (million dollars) 63,199 1,625,749<br />
Inbound stock as percentage of GDP (percent) 8.0 13.0<br />
Outbound global investment stock (million dollars) 36,478 2,051,284<br />
Outbound stock as percentage of GDP (percent) 4.6 16.4<br />
Investment inflows (million dollars) 7,198 99,443<br />
Bilateral outbound investment stock (million dollars) 6,203 18,759<br />
Sources: Data on total investment stock and investment inflows: UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2006. Data on<br />
U.S.-<strong>Korea</strong>n bilateral investment: USDOC, BEA, Survey of Current Business, September 2006.<br />
Note: Bilateral outbound investment stock reflects U.S. government statistics for U.S. outbound direct investment<br />
position in <strong>Korea</strong> on a historical-cost basis, and U.S. inbound direct investment position from <strong>Korea</strong> on a historical-cost<br />
basis. <strong>Korea</strong>n data for <strong>Korea</strong>’s outbound investment position in the United States are not available.<br />
<strong>Korea</strong> has become more welcoming to foreign investors since reforms were instituted following the 1997–98 Asian<br />
financial crisis. As of 2005, however, foreign investors still note problems related to public and media objections to<br />
foreign investment, transparency regarding the interpretation of relevant regulations and corporate governance,<br />
intellectual property protection, and labor-management relations. 2 Restrictions on foreign investment in cable television<br />
and satellite broadcasters are particularly troublesome for U.S. investors. 3 The United States holds the largest singlecountry<br />
share of FDI stock in <strong>Korea</strong>, with 30 percent, compared with 30 percent for the combined EU-25 countries and<br />
15 percent for Japan. 4 By operating revenue, the largest U.S.-owned companies in <strong>Korea</strong> are Halla Climate Control,<br />
owned by Visteon, and the <strong>Korea</strong>n affiliates of Citigroup, 3M, Delphi, and IBM. The largest <strong>Korea</strong>n-based companies<br />
operating in the United States include Samsung Electronics, LG Corp. (a chemicals manufacturer), Hyundai, LG<br />
Electronics, and POSCO (<strong>Korea</strong>-based steel manufacturer). 5<br />
The United States is the world’s largest destination for FDI, with 2005 inbound direct investment stock of $1.6 trillion.<br />
The following are the framework legal provisions governing foreign investment in <strong>Korea</strong>:<br />
• Foreign Investment Promotion Act, Enforcement Decree, and Enforcement Rules, most recently amended in<br />
April 2007<br />
• Regulation on Foreign Investment or Technology Introduction (as notified by the Ministry of Industry and Energy)<br />
• Integrated bulletins on foreign investment (as notified by the Ministry of Industry and Energy)<br />
• Tax Abatement Regulations for Foreign Investment (as notified by the Ministry of Finance and <strong>Economy</strong>)<br />
• Tax Abatement Restriction Act (Chapter 5: Tax Abatement for Foreign Investment), Enforcement Decree, and<br />
Enforcement Rules. 6<br />
1<br />
UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2006, annex tables B.2 and B.3.<br />
2<br />
USFCS, “Doing Business in <strong>Korea</strong>: A Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies,” 2005.<br />
3<br />
ITI, “ITI Submission on the United States-<strong>Korea</strong> <strong>Free</strong> <strong>Trade</strong> <strong>Agreement</strong>,” written submission to the <strong>Trade</strong><br />
Policy Staff Committee, Office of the USTR, March 24, 2006.<br />
4<br />
USFCS, “Doing Business in <strong>Korea</strong>: A Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies,” 2005. Reflects official<br />
<strong>Korea</strong>n government FDI statistics, which may not match U.S. government statistics from the Department of<br />
Commerce.<br />
5<br />
Bureau van Dijk Electronic Publishing, Orbis Database.<br />
6<br />
Invest <strong>Korea</strong>.