SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Prices for imported goods to South Korea rebounded last month amid a surge in global oil prices that offset the impact of a stronger South Korean currency, central bank data showed Friday.
The import price index went up 1.7 percent in September from a month earlier, marking the first turnaround in four months since May, according to the Bank of Korea.
The monthly average price of Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, soared 28.1 percent over the month to 113.71 U.S. dollars per barrel in September.
The average South Korean won versus U.S. dollar exchange rate declined 3.4 percent to 1,359.00 won per dollar in the cited month.
Prices for imported raw materials, including mining products, jumped 9.6 percent in September on a monthly basis, keeping an upward trajectory for three straight months.
Import prices for intermediate goods slipped 1.7 percent on cheaper primary metal products, while those for capital and consumer goods retreated 2.4 percent and 2.3 percent each.
The export price index dipped 0.8 percent month-on-month in September, marking the second consecutive monthly decline.
While higher global oil prices pushed up prices for exported petroleum products, the falling exchange rate dragged down other product prices. ■