The Korea Federation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) building in Yeouido, Seoul / Courtesy of the Korea Federation of SMEs

Nearly three out of 10 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Korea have experienced damage in their export business due to the martial law fiasco, a survey showed Wednesday.

In the survey of 513 SMEs conducted by the Korea Federation of SMEs, 26.3 percent said they have suffered damage in exports due to the ongoing political turmoil sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3.

Another 63.5 percent said they have yet to suffer any damage but believe they could in the future.

As examples of the damage, delays, reduction and cancellations of deals were cited the most at 47.4 percent, followed by inquiries from foreign clients at 23.7 percent and issues sparked by the weak Korean won at 22.2 percent.

An official at a manufacturing firm in the central city of Cheongju anonymously said foreign buyers are expressing uneasiness in making down payments when securing a deal due to the domestic political situation.

"We experienced financial damage as the Korean won slid against the U.S. dollar overnight following the martial law decree as we had been planning to make a payment after receiving an invoice the day before the incident happened," an official at a separate manufacturing company in Gyeonggi Province said, also on condition of anonymity.

The export companies called on the government to actively ease woes surrounding the domestic situation, and put efforts into restoring the credit standing of the country and stabilizing the currency fluctuation. (Yonhap)