Rise Compared to August, When Telecom Fees Were Reduced
Processed Food Prices Continue Upward Trend
Coffee (15.6%), Bread (6.5%) See Increases
Livestock Products Up 5.4%, Fisheries Products Up 6.4%
Last month, the consumer price index rose back to the 2% range after two months. The prices of processed foods and livestock products saw relatively large increases. It was assessed that the consumer coupons aimed at revitalizing livelihoods had little impact on price increases.
According to the "September 2025 Consumer Price Trends" released by the National Data Office on October 2, last month's consumer price index stood at 117.06 (2020=100), up 2.1% from the same month last year. This is the first time in two months since July (2.1%) that the consumer price index has recorded a 2% increase. Except for May (1.9%), consumer prices have remained in the 2% range this year, but temporarily fell to 1.7% in August due to factors such as a temporary reduction in telecommunications fees.
By category, goods prices rose by 2.0%. Among these, prices of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products increased by 1.9%, narrowing the growth from the previous month (4.8%). Vegetable prices fell by 12.3%, pulling down the overall increase. This reflects a base effect, as vegetable prices surged in September last year due to a heatwave. Looking at livestock products (5.4%) and fisheries products (6.4%) separately, their growth rates fell by 1.7 percentage points and 0.9 percentage points, respectively, compared to the previous month.
Industrial products rose by 2.2%, with processed foods (4.2%) increasing at a higher rate than petroleum products (2.3%). In the case of processed foods, coffee (15.6%) and bread (6.5%) saw significant price hikes. Petroleum product prices turned upward last month, reflecting a slight rise in international oil prices and an increase in the exchange rate compared to the same month last year.
Service prices increased by 2.2%. Public services, which fell by 3.6% in August, turned to a 1.2% increase last month. Personal services rose by 2.9%. Dining out prices increased by 3.4%, marking a relatively large rise. Excluding dining out, the increase was 2.6%. Lee Doowon, Director of Economic Trend Statistics at the National Data Office, stated, "We do not believe that the consumer coupons for livelihood recovery had a significant impact on prices."
The core inflation index, which excludes food and energy and is used as a standard by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), rose by 2.0%, up from 1.3% the previous month. The index excluding agricultural products and petroleum also rose by 2.4%, surpassing the previous month's increase of 1.9%. The living necessities price index increased by 2.5%. The fresh food price index fell by 2.5%.
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