According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) More than 7 in 10 foreign investors and buyers welcome the recent inter-Korean deal to defuse tensions on the peninsula, a poll showed Monday, raising hopes that it could boost overall trade and foreign investment.

After days of intensive high-level talks, Seoul and Pyongyang reached the agreement last Tuesday to end their showdown and work toward better relations via a series of measures, including increased civilian exchanges.

More than 76 percent of the 536 foreign investors, buyers and South Koreans doing business abroad said they favor the latest inter-Korean deal, according to the survey conducted by Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

By region, 87.3 percent of those in Central and South America greeted the eased tensions brought forward by the deal, followed by 84.3 percent in Europe. The figure for North America stood at 62.5 percent.

Nearly half, or 47.9 percent, forecast that the Aug. 25 agreement is likely to have a positive impact on South Korea's business on the global stage.

"(The survey shows that) the inter-Korean agreement has helped reduce some negative sentiments held by foreign buyers and investors regarding the risks posed by North Korea," a KOTRA official said. "The deal is likely to have a positive effect on business down the road."

The South Korean economy and its financial market are often swayed by geopolitical risks stemming from inter-Korean conflicts that influence foreign investors' sentiment.

The inter-Korean standoff was sparked by a North Korean land mine attack early this month that maimed two South Korean soldiers. In retaliation, South Korea resumed anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts via loudspeakers along the border, which North Korea sees as an insult to the supreme dignity of its leader Kim Jong-un.

South and North Korea remain technically in a state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

yjkim8826@yna.co.kr

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