Consumer price rise hits 7-month high in September

South Korea's consumer prices rose at the fastest clip in seven months in September amid growing concerns over possible deflation, a government report showed Wednesday.

The country's consumer price index rose 1.2 percent last month from a year earlier, marking the highest monthly gain in seven months, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

The figure had stayed below the 1 percent level four straight months since May.

From a month earlier, the index edged down 0.6 percent in September.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile oil and food prices, increased 1.8 percent compared with last year, remaining unchanged from a month earlier. (Yonhap)