3월 소비자물가 0.4％↑…2년8개월만에 상승률 최저<br /><br />The rate of increase of Korea's consumer price index slowed again last month on the back of low vegetable and oil prices.<br />Kim Da-mi has the details. <br />Korea's consumer prices for March increased at their slowest pace since July 2016. <br /> According to Statistics Korea on Tuesday..., consumer prices edged up zero-point-four percent on-year last month. <br />This marks the third straight month that the consumer price index has seen an increase of less than one percent compared to the previous year.<br />As for the first quarter of the year as a whole, the index rose by zero-point-five,... its smallest increase since 1965.<br />The main reasons behind such lower consumer price increases are lower vegetable prices and a fall in petrochemical product prices.<br />Petrochemical goods prices dropped near 10 percent on-year in March amid low oil prices... while vegetable prices plunged by nearly 13 percent on-year... thanks to relatively good weather. <br />Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, rose zero-point-eight percent compared to the previous year, and prices of services increased 1.1 percent.<br />The government says it will push through with its efforts to stabilize the prices of products that have seen large price fluctuations.<br />KIM Da-mi, Arirang News.
