Direct foreign investment into Korea during the first nine months of the year increased from a year ago, but the rate of growth slowed, government data showed Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the amount of foreign investment reported to the authorities during the first nine months of the year came in at $7.58 billion, up 4.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

The amount of capital that arrived in the country during the period rose 25.8 percent from a year ago to come in at $4.26 billion.

The rise was fueled by increased investment from developed nations including Japan and the U.S. that offset the drop in the inflow of capital from China and other emerging nations, the data showed.

Investment from Japan, U.S. and other developed nations jumped 45.4 percent in the January-September period, while that from emerging economies dropped 42.3 percent.

By investment type, green field investment increased 5.7 percent from a year ago, while inflow of capital through mergers and acquisitions dropped 2.7 percent.

The largest change was seen in the amount of investment from the U.S. followed by that from the EU. According to the ministry, investment from the U.S. increased by 67.6 percent to $1.3 billion, while EU-based concerns invested 39.7 percent more compared to the same period last year.

The ministry also projected that the country’s FDI for the entire year will reach $13.1 billion.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)