South Korean households’ financial investments lag far behind those of the United States as they focus more on property and bank deposits, data showed Monday.

Cash and bank deposits accounted for a large 45.5 percent of South Korean households’ financial assets in 2013, compared to 12.5 percent for the U.S., according to the data compiled by the Korea Financial Investment Association.

The portion of their financial investments such as stocks and bonds stood at 25 percent last year, with the comparable figure for insurance and pension being 28.9 percent, they showed.

Compared to 2007, the portion of cash and bank deposits rose 3 percentage points, but that for financial investment dropped 9.1 percentage points over the cited period, the data showed. (Yonhap)