Foreign direct investment(FDI) pledges to South Korea dipped 11 percent in 2020 from a year earlier due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday that South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy, received 20-point-seven billion dollars worth of FDI commitments last year, down 11-point-one percent from 2019.

Nevertheless, South Korea managed to stay above the 20-billion-dollar level for the sixth consecutive year.

The amount of investment that actually arrived also dropped 17 percent to 11 billion dollars.

By industry, FDI pledges for so-called emerging areas, including artificial intelligence, big data and eco-friendly automobiles, increased notably, up more than nine percent.

In contrast, the manufacturing sector saw a slump in investment, posting a drop of 27-point-four percent on-year in 2020.