South Korea Sees Increase in Producer Prices for 5th Straight Month
The producer price index (PPI) climbed 0.6 percent month-on-month in January, maintaining an unbroken upward run dating back to September 2024, the Bank of Korea (BOK) confirmed.
Farm and tech sectors led the charge. Prices across agricultural, livestock, and fishery products rose 0.7 percent on a monthly basis, with agricultural goods alone jumping 1.4 percent and livestock products advancing 0.9 percent — reflecting sustained pressure on food supply chains heading into the new year.
Industrial product prices, encompassing oil-related goods, accelerated to 0.6 percent growth in January, outpacing the 0.4 percent expansion recorded the previous month. Within that category, computers, electronics, and optical devices surged 1.8 percent — underscoring robust momentum in South Korea's critical semiconductor sector — even as coal and petroleum product prices retreated 3.9 percent, partially tempering the overall increase.
The services segment also posted gains, with prices climbing 0.7 percent, buoyed by higher costs in finance, insurance, and transportation.
One area that held firm: utilities. Prices for electricity, natural gas, and tap water remained flat in January, registering no change from December's levels — offering consumers at least a measure of stability amid broader inflationary pressure across the supply chain.
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