In dollar terms, import prices grew 18.7 percent in January, with export prices
gaining 3.5 percent, the BOK said.
The local currency fell 0.8 percent against the greenback in January from a
month earlier. The price of Dubai crude, Korea’s benchmark, jumped 69 percent in
January compared to a year earlier. South Korea is the world’s fourth-largest
crude buyer.Raw material costs surged 48.7 percent year-on-year mainly
due to higher oil prices while the prices of intermediate goods rose 10.6
percent in January, the BOK said.