كوريا الجنوبية Import Prices YoY

South Korea's import prices rose 4.6% year-over-year in February 2025, slowing from a downwardly revised 6.5% increase in the previous month. This marked the fourth consecutive month of rising import costs, driven primarily by a weakening local currency. Price gains moderated across key categories, including consumer goods (4.5% vs. 5% in January), intermediate goods (6.5% vs. 7.4%), and raw materials (1.8% vs. 6.3%), while capital goods saw a slight acceleration (5.3% vs. 5.1%). The South Korean won depreciated 5.2% against the U.S. dollar in December, marking its sharpest decline in 22 months and hitting its weakest level since March 2009 amid domestic political turmoil. On a monthly basis, import prices fell 0.8%, reversing a 2.2% increase in January.