Consumer price index data for last month fell far below the Bank of Korea's target of two-percent... largely due to the government's measures to ease the burden for households on their electricity bills.<br />Kim Ji-yeon reports. <br /> South Korea's consumer prices remained in the one-percent growth range for the eleventh straight month in August.<br /> Statistics Korea says overall consumer prices increased by one-point-four-percent compared to the same month last year.<br /> The rate of increase was pulled down by electricity, water and gas prices... which plunged nearly nine-percent on-year.<br />The statistics agency says the government's revision to the progressive electricity billing rates had some impact on consumer prices... lowering them by around zero-point-three-percent.<br />Most of the price increases came from vegetables and fruits... as well as crude oil.<br /> Prices of agricultural, livestock and marine products climbed three-and-a-half-percent from the same period last year... affected by the record-breaking heatwave.<br />Prices of Dubai crude, Korea's benchmark, traded at around 73 dollars a barrel on average in August... raising the prices of local gasoline by 11-percent on-year.<br /> Core inflation, which excludes volatile oil and food prices, edged up nearly one percent on-year.<br />Last month's consumer price increases fell below the BOK's target of two-percent... raising speculation that the central bank is likely to pursue monetary tightening measures at a gradual pace.<br /> The BOK kept its benchmark interest rate at one-point-five percent for the ninth consecutive month in August.<br />Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News. <br />
