South Korea Producer Inflation Rises in August

South Korea’s producer prices rose 7.9% year over year in August 2026, accelerating from a 7.7% increase in July. Manufacturing producer prices climbed 12.2%, led by a 54.3% surge in coal and petroleum products. Prices for computers, electronic and optical equipment rose 24.5%, while chemical products increased 16.9% and basic metal products advanced 16.0%. Meanwhile, prices of agricultural, forestry, and marine products rose 1.1%, while service prices increased 4.4%. Utility prices rose 2.9%. In contrast, prices of mining products edged down 0.1%. On a monthly basis, the Producer Price Index increased 0.2%, following a 0.4% rise in July.

South Korea’s producer prices rose 7.7% year-over-year in July 2026, easing from an 8.5% increase in June. Manufacturing producer prices climbed 12.2%, led by a 50.7% surge in coal and petroleum products. Prices for computers, electronic and optical equipment rose 24.2%, while chemical products increased 17.5% and basic metal products advanced 16.1%. Meanwhile, prices of agricultural, forestry and marine products rose 0.7%, while service prices increased 4%. In contrast, prices of mining products edged 0.7% lower. On a monthly basis, the Producer Price Index decreased 0.4% after remaining flat in June.

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.