South Korea Producer Inflation Nears Four-Year High

South Korea's producer prices rose 8.6% year-on-year in June 2026, the same pace as in May, which was the strongest increase since July 2022. Manufacturing producer prices climbed 13.2%, led by a 65.8% surge in coal and petroleum products. Prices for computers, electronic and optical equipment rose 24.6%, while chemical products increased 19.2% and basic metal products advanced 16.0%. Meanwhile, prices of agricultural, forestry, and marine products rose 4.8%, supported by a 10.0% increase in livestock prices. Service prices also increased 4.9%, driven by a 35.2% jump in financial and insurance activities, while utility prices rose 1.3%. On a monthly basis, the Producer Price Index was unchanged in June after rising 1.0% in May.

South Korea’s producer prices rose 8.5% year-on-year in May 2026, up from a 7.2% increase in April and marking the strongest increase since July 2022. Manufacturing producer prices climbed 13.3%, led by a 77.5% surge in coal and petroleum products. Prices for computers, electronic and optical equipment rose 20.2%, while chemical products increased 20.6% and basic metal products advanced 14.5%. Service prices also rose 4.9%, driven by a 35.3% jump in financial and insurance activities. Meanwhile, prices for agricultural, forestry, and marine products increased 4.8%, supported by a 10.3% rise in livestock prices. Utility prices edged up 0.2%. On a month-over-month basis, producer prices rose 0.8%, easing from a 2.7% increase in April.

South Korea’s producer prices rose 6.9% year-on-year in April 2026, accelerating from a 4.1% increase in the previous month and marking the strongest rise since October 2022. Manufacturing producer prices climbed 11.3%, led by a 73.9% surge in coal and petroleum products. Prices for computers, electronic and optical equipment increased 17.4%, while chemical products rose 15.6% and basic metal products advanced 11.8%. Service prices also increased 3.8%, driven by a 26.2% jump in financial and insurance activities. Meanwhile, prices for agricultural, forestry, and marine products rose 1%, supported by a 10.4% increase in livestock prices. In contrast, utility prices declined 1.2%. On a monthly basis, producer prices rose 2.5%, accelerating from a 1.7% increase in March.