SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The price for imported goods to South Korea rose for the third straight month due to higher crude oil prices and the local currency's depreciation against the U.S. dollar, central bank data showed Friday.
The import price index gained 0.2 percent in September from a month earlier after climbing 0.8 percent in July and 0.3 percent in August, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The consecutive growth was affected by the local currency's descent versus the greenback and an increase in crude oil prices.
Price for Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 70.01 U.S. dollars per barrel in September, up from 69.39 dollars in the previous month.
The average won versus dollar exchange rate advanced to 1,391.83 won per dollar in September from 1,389.66 won in August.
Price for imported raw materials fell 0.1 percent in September on a monthly basis owing to cheaper liquified natural gas (LNG) that offset more expensive crude oil.
Import price for intermediary goods climbed 0.5 percent last month, continuing to increase for the third successive month.
Price for imported capital goods slipped 0.2 percent, but imported consumer goods price added 0.1 percent in the cited month.
The export price index rose 0.6 percent in September from a month earlier after expanding 0.8 percent in July and 0.6 percent in August. ■
