United States Department of State

Korea United States Department of State

The Korean government's attitude toward foreign direct investment is positive, and senior policy makers realize the value of FDI. Following the 2008-09 global financial crisis, inbound FDI continued to trend upwards from USD 5.4 billion in 2010 to USD 11.5 billion in 2014. Although the Korean government indicates it recognizes the value of FDI and intends to enact policies to attract FDI, foreign investment in South Korea is still at times hindered by insufficient regulatory transparency, including inconsistent and sudden changes in interpretation of regulations, as well as underdeveloped corporate governance, high labor costs, an inflexible labor system, and significant economic domination by large conglomerates, or chaebol.