SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's consumer price inflation hit the highest in five months due to higher price for farm goods and slower fall in oil products price, statistical office data showed Thursday.
The consumer price index (CPI) stood at 112.99 in September, up 3.7 percent from a year ago, according to Statistics Korea. It marked the highest increase since April.
The inflation had roughly been on the decline this year from 5.2 percent in January to 4.8 percent in February, 4.2 percent in March, 3.3 percent in May, and 2.3 percent in July before rebounding to 3.4 percent in August.
Last month's faster inflation was driven by expensive farm goods and slower slide in oil products price.
Price for agricultural, livestock and fishery products jumped 3.7 percent in September from a year earlier, after rising 2.7 percent in the previous month. It raised the overall headline inflation by 0.34 percentage points.
Agricultural products price soared 7.2 percent last month, marking the highest in 11 months since October last year.
The farm goods price gained ground ahead of the Chuseok holiday, a traditional autumn harvest festival in South Korea that fell on late September.
Oil products price retreated 4.9 percent in September on a yearly basis after dropping 25.9 percent in July and 11.0 percent in August.
The slower fall in oil products price was attributed to the recent rebound in global crude oil price.
Gasoline price gained 1.9 percent, while prices for diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dipped in double digits.
Price for industrial products, including oil products, increased 3.4 percent in September after gaining 2.6 percent in August on a yearly basis.
Processed food price added 5.8 percent in September after going up 6.3 percent in the prior month.
Price for electricity, natural gas and tap water spiked 19.1 percent in September from a year earlier.
Electricity bill jumped 20.3 percent, while city gas and heating costs soared 21.5 percent and 33.4 percent each.
Private services price, including eating-out cost, advanced 4.2 percent in September from a year earlier after gaining 4.3 percent in the previous month. Public services price added 1.8 percent.
Expense for dining out climbed 4.9 percent, while the private services price excluding the eating-out expense picked up 3.6 percent.
Housing rent, including Jeonse and monthly rent, was up 0.1 percent in September, lower than an increase of 0.2 percent in the previous month.
Jeonse is South Korea's unique contract between two households where a landlord grants the two-year residential right to a tenant, who in turn lends a certain amount of money, or deposit, to the landlord.
The livelihood items index, which gauges price for daily necessities, advanced 4.4 percent in September from a year earlier after rising 3.9 percent in the previous month.
The fresh food index, which measures the price of fish, shellfish, fruit and vegetable, soared 6.4 percent last month, higher than a gain of 5.6 percent in the prior month.
Demand-side inflationary pressure hovered high. The core CPI, which excludes volatile agricultural and oil products, advanced 3.8 percent in September, surpassing the headline inflation of 3.7 percent.
The OECD-method core price, excluding volatile energy and food costs, was up 3.3 percent last month.
The country's headline inflation still topped the Bank of Korea (BOK)'s midterm target of 2 percent for 30 months in a row. ■