Nearly all the companies engaged in inter-Korean economic projects have suffered losses from heightened tensions in inter-Korean relations following the sinking of the “Cheonan” naval vessel.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry conducted a survey on some 164 such companies, and 94 percent said they had suffered losses from Seoul’s ban on trade with the North.

Sixty-seven percent of them said the ban has seriously hindered operations.

The average amount of losses by each company was tallied at 974 million won since the ban was instituted in May.

More than half of the respondents said the ban inflicted losses in both investment and in operations, while just over one quarter said they had suffered a decline in orders. Twenty-two percent said they had witnessed an increase in incidental expenses, including transportation costs.