Last month, consumer prices were around 1% for the first time in 3 years and 6 months...strong vegetable prices

[Anchor]
Consumer price growth slowed to 1% last month for the first time in three and a half years.

However, it is difficult for ordinary people to feel inflation in the 1% range as vegetable prices, including cabbage, have risen sharply.

I'm connecting with the reporter. Reporter Lee Seung Eun!

Oil prices have dragged down the overall inflation rate, right? The situation in the Middle East is changing rapidly, but I'm worried about prices this month?

[Reporter]
That's right.

The Office for National Statistics reported last month that consumer prices were up 1.6% from a year ago.

It is the first time in three and a half years that inflation has slowed to the 1% level since March 2021 when it was 1.9%.

Consumer inflation has been in the 2% range for the fifth month since April this year. Last month, it was down 0.4 percentage points from a month ago.

For core prices, which show a trending trend in prices, the agricultural and petroleum exclusion index rose 1.8%, while the food and energy exclusion index rose 2%.Living prices, which account for a high proportion of household spending

, also rose only 1.5% from a year ago, the lowest increase in 44 months.

Oil prices fell 7.6% in large part.

It has fallen for the first time in seven months since February, dragging down overall prices by 0.32 percentage points.

The fruit crop was also good.

The Bank of Korea's Monetary Policy Committee is scheduled to be held on the 11th of this month, and the price index is stable.

However, it is difficult for ordinary people to feel the price stability tax.

This is due to the 11.5% surge in vegetable prices due to the heat wave and the cumulative growth rate.

Last month, cabbage rose nearly 54% from a year ago, radish rose 41.6% and lettuce rose 31.5%.

To stabilize cabbage prices, the government will ship 6,000 tons of available government supplies early this month, and extend the allocation tariff until the end of the year.

In addition, the government imports 1,000 tons directly and provides some logistics costs to private companies to import about 3,000 tons additionally.

However, price uncertainties such as worsening the situation in the Middle East and the possibility of an abnormal climate exist.

I'm Lee Seung Eun of YTN.