S. Korean builders' overseas orders double in 2008

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korean builders' overseas orders more than
doubled in 2008 from a year ago thanks to a construction boom in the Middle East
and Asia, a government report said Wednesday.

The builders won a combined 32.7 trillion won (US$26.3 billion) in overseas
orders last year, up 102.9 percent or 16.65 trillion won from a year ago, the
National Statistical Office said in a report.
The figure is the highest annual growth rate in 35 years since the government
started compiling related data in 1974.
South Korean builders reported 16.73 trillion won worth of orders from the Middle
East in 2008, up 90.3 percent from a year ago, while their orders in Asia rose
137.7 percent on-year to 9.93 trillion won last year.
The ratio of overseas orders to overall orders rose 15.3 percent in 2008 from 8.9
percent in 2007.
The builders' combined orders from both home and abroad rose 17.6 percent
year-on-year to 213.58 trillion won in 2008, the report said.
ksnam@yna.co.kr
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