[THE INVESTOR] Major South Korean construction companies posted lackluster orders in the first half of this year, industry data showed on Aug. 2.

According to the data, eight out of the country’s top 10 construction firms by building capacity posted first-half orders that hovered well below half their yearly targets. The remaining two have not disclosed their 2016 order goals.

Of the eight builders, six registered orders that amount to some 30 percent of their full-year targets, with figures for the remainder staying in the 40-percent range on their strong housing business in the domestic market.

Top builder Samsung C&T, the construction arm of the country’s top conglomerate Samsung Group, chalked up 4.97 trillion won (US$4.48 billion) in orders in the January-June period, only 30.7 percent of its yearly target of 16.21 trillion won.

First-half orders won by No. 2 player Hyundai Engineering & Construction and others ranged from 28 percent to 38 percent of their targets for all of 2016.

GS Engineering & Construction bagged 5.86 trillion won in first-half orders, or 47.6 percent of its yearly goal, and Lotte Engineering & Construction’s orders came to 3.15 trillion won, which amounted to 41.5 percent of its full-year target.

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