Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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8월 소비자물가 상승률 3.1% 작년 통신요금 인하 기저효과

Here in South Korea.
Consumer prices climbed back into the 3 percent range last month driven by a jump in mobile phone bills and higher oil prices.
Our Baek Ju-hee reports.

Consumer price inflation jumped above 3 percent in August, after cooling to the 2 percent range in July.
According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Wednesday, consumer prices climbed 3-point-1 percent last month compared to the year before, following a 2-point-8 percent increase in July.
Prices were already running in the 3 percent range back in May and June, so last month's inflation is right back near its spring level.

Public service prices rose 6-point-5 percent from a year before, the fastest pace in 25 years.
Mobile phone fees alone were up 26-point-7 percent, driven largely by the base effect from last year's rate cuts, when a major carrier slashed prices in half for a month following a data breach that triggered subscriber cancellations.
Officials estimate that the one-off effect alone added roughly 0-point-58 percentage points to last month's headline figure.


"Some carriers cut their rates by around 50 percent, and that base effect appears to be behind much of this month's increase. When we strip out that one-off factor from last year's telecom fee cuts and recalculate, this month's inflation comes out to around 2-point-5 percent."

Petroleum product prices rose 14-point-2 percent from a year before, slowing from a 15-point-5 percent increase in July.
Officials credit softer global oil prices and the government's price cap policy for the slowdown.
They estimate the price cap alone held headline inflation down by about 0-point-5 percentage points last month.

Food prices moved the other way.
Agricultural, livestock and fishery prices fell 2-point-6 percent year-on-year, the steepest annual drop in almost seven years, as a stronger harvest and increased government discounts boosted supply.

Ahead of the Korean thanksgiving holiday, Chuseok, the government unveiled a record support package worth 103-billion-won, or about 75-million dollars, discounting key agricultural and fishery items by up to half to ease price pressure.

Officials expect price growth to ease in September, despite lingering risks from Middle East tensions and unpredictable weather.
Baek Ju-hee, Arirang News.

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2026-09-02, 12:00 (KST)