SEOUL, July 2 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's consumer price index, a key indicator of consumer sentiment, stood at 113.83 in June, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea.
But the figure was the lowest over the past 11 months. The pace of increase has remained below three percent for the third consecutive month.
The rise in consumer prices in June was driven primarily by higher prices for fresh agricultural produce. Seasonal fruits were particularly sharp increases, with prices of apples rising by 63.1 percent and pear prices soaring by 139 percent.
These price hikes were attributed to decreased production caused by unpredictable weather conditions, exacerbated by increased labor costs.
High prices of petroleum-related products including gasoline and diesel also contributed to the overall increase in consumer prices. Their prices saw a 4.3 percent-increase on-year, up from 3.1 percent in May.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
