Consumer prices in S. Korea gains 1 percent from a year earlier in March, despite virus outbreak.
South Korea's consumer prices gained 1 percent from a year earlier in March, despite the novel coronavirus epidemic that has hurt consumer spending.
According to Statistics Korea, it's the third consecutive month the country's inflation has increased more than 1 percent on-year.
The agency said, "Locally, a change in consumption and economic stimulus measures had an impact on prices, while internationally, a drop in oil prices due to slow demand had a impact on prices in the country."
Last month, prices of livestock products jumped 6.7 percent from a year earlier while the price of processed foodstuffs rose 1.7 percent.
However, automobile prices slipped 2.6 percent on a government tax break aimed at promoting consumption.■
<Image: Yonhap News>
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