SEOUL, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Prices for imported goods to South Korea kept rising for six straight months on expensive crude oil, central bank data showed Friday.
The import price index stood at 88.26 in June, up 1.3 percent from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The import prices gained for the first six months of this year, but the growth pace slowed down compared with 2.7 percent rise in May as global crude oil prices slightly went down.
Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 73.61 U.S. dollars per barrel in June, down from 74.41 dollars in May.
The domestic currency's depreciation to the U.S. dollar contributed to higher import costs. The won/dollar exchange rate averaged 1,092.8 won per dollar in June, up 1.5 percent from the previous month.
Price for imported raw materials rose 1.4 percent in June from a month earlier, while those for capital and consumer goods gained 0.7 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively.
