Construction firms won overseas orders worth US$48.3 billion in the January-September period, up 5.2 percent from $45.9 billion tallied in the corresponding period last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
The amount was the second highest on record for the January-September period, following $52.8 billion for the same period of 2010.
Orders from Middle East countries, traditionally the largest market for South Korean construction companies, jumped 45 percent to $26.22 billion in the third quarter from $18.1 billion a year earlier. The sum accounted for 52.3 percent of the total clinched by South Korean construction firms.
However, orders from Asian nations plunged 46.8 percent to $10.48 billion in the July-September period from a year earlier, accounting for 21.7 percent of the total.
Orders from Central and South American countries constituted 11.5 percent, or $5.57 billion of the total, while those from African nations totaling $2.06 billion, or 4.3 percent.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
