 |
| Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Rhee Chang-yong speaks during a meeting with reporters at the central bank in Seoul, Feb. 23. Yonhap |
Korea's producer prices rose for the second straight month in February as service prices increased, central bank data showed Tuesday.
The producer price index, a major barometer of consumer inflation, gained 0.1 percent in February from a month earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.
It followed a 0.4 percent on-month advance in January.
From a year earlier, the index rose 4.8 percent.
The on-month rise is attributed to a 0.6 percent increase in the prices of restaurant and lodging services. The index excluding food and energy products also rose 0.3 percent.
Producer prices are one of the key indicators that determine the trajectory of inflation, as they influence the prices businesses charge to consumers in the months ahead.
In February, the country's consumer prices rose 4.8 percent on-year, slowing from a 5.2 percent increase tallied for the previous month. (Yonhap)
![[INTERVIEW] With '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/83a5770de8d8420da3634fb8b78266c1.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] ONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8cc3b8d992cd4b8bb43395b014670ca2.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
