Südkorea Verbraucherpreise

South Korea’s annual inflation rate inched lower to 2.3% in December 2025 from 2.4% in the previous two months, marking the lowest level since September and aligning with market forecasts. However, the latest result remained above the central bank’s 2% target for a fourth straight month. Price growth eased for food & non-alcoholic beverages (3.6% vs 4.7% in November), furnishings, household equipment & routine maintenance (2.7% vs 2.8%), health (1.0% vs 1.1%), recreation & culture (1.2% vs 1.4%), and education (1.6% vs 1.7%). At the same time, the costs of alcohol and tobacco were flat after edging up 0.1% previously. Meanwhile, inflation held steady for clothing (at 2.3%), transport (at 3.2%), and communication (at 0.4%), but was higher for housing (1.3% vs 1.2%), restaurants & hotels (3.0% vs 2.9%), and miscellaneous goods & services (4.9% vs 4.2%). On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.3%, reversing a 0.2% decline in November.