SEOUL, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Prices for imported goods to South Korea soared in double digits amid the Middle East tensions that led to higher oil prices and the local currency's depreciation against the U.S. dollar, central bank data showed Wednesday.
The import price index surged 16.1 percent in March from a month earlier, continuing to go up for the ninth straight month since July last year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
It marked the fastest increase in over 28 years since January 1998.
Price for Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 128.52 dollars per barrel in March, up from 68.40 dollars in the previous month.
The average South Korean won versus dollar exchange rate advanced to 1,486.64 won in March from 1,449.32 won in February.
Price for imported raw materials, including mining products, skyrocketed 40.2 percent in March on a monthly basis, faster than the growth of 4.2 percent in the previous month.
Import price for intermediary goods jumped 8.8 percent last month, with the price for coal and oil products picking up 37.4 percent.
The prices for imported capital and consumer goods added 1.5 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.
The export price index spiked 16.3 percent in March from a month earlier, keeping an upward trend since last July. ■
