The nation's direct foreign investment amounted to around US$39 billion last year, a 14 percent drop from a year earlier. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said the decrease was mainly driven by a sharp cut in investment in resource development, including the mining industry.

It said, however, that investment in manufacturing and service industries increased in the same period despite the ailing global economy.

The United States was the top destination for foreign investment by Korean companies at close to $7 billion in 2012.