percent from a year earlier. Overseas construction orders kept

 　　ders from Asia tumbled 38.2 percent, with those from Africa plunging 60.3 percent. Orders from the Middle East advanced 32.5 percent.

Domestic construction orders edged down 0.7 percent over the year to 241 trillion won (217 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017 as the government announced measures to control speculative investment in the real estate market.