A joint investment seminar organized by South Korean ministries and state-run organizations has opened in Washington to provide diverse information to American investors.

The investment relations event is being organized by the ministries of foreign affairs, commerce, industry and energy as well as the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. Organizers said Friday that the seminar is aimed at luring American investment by introducing South Korea's outstanding manpower, growth potential and social infrastructure.

Some 40 American firms in the fields of real estate, information and technology, biological engineering and food manufacturing took part in the event.

The United States injected around 950 million dollars in foreign direct investment into South Korea last year. Japan's direct investment in South Korea amounted to 5.8 billion dollars, while China provided around one-and-a-half billion dollars in investment.