According to the National Data Agency's consumer price trends for September 2026, the consumer price index rose to 120.43 (2020=100), marking a 2.9% increase compared to the same month last year, re-entering the 2% range after two months.
The core price index, excluding food and energy, based on the OECD methodology, increased by 2.8% from September of last year.
Additionally, the core price index excluding agricultural products and petroleum, calculated from 401 of the total 458 items, rose by 2.7% year-on-year.
The living price index, which reflects items that consumers frequently purchase and for which they spend a significant portion of their budget, increased by 2.5% compared to the same month last year.
However, the fresh food index showed a decline, dropping 3.3% year-on-year, primarily due to falling fruit prices.
Lee Do-won, a senior official at the Data Agency's Economic Trends Statistics Division, explained, "The increase in shipments of agricultural products, such as fruits like apples and pears, during the Chuseok holiday has led to a greater decline in fruit prices. In contrast, vegetable shipments decreased due to weather conditions, resulting in vegetable prices remaining stable at 0.0% last month, following a 9.7% drop in August."
The index including owner-occupied housing costs rose by 2.6% compared to last year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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