SEOUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Prices for goods and services among South Korean suppliers posted the fastest increase in three months due to expensive crude oil, central bank data showed Thursday.
Producer price index stood at 104.40 in May, up 0.2 percent from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). It was the fastest growth in three months.
The fast gain came as crude oil prices jumped. Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 74.41 U.S. dollars per barrel in May, up 9 percent from the previous month.
Prices for coal and oil products advanced 5.3 percent, marking the highest growth since January last year.
Farm goods prices shed 0.9 percent, but services prices inched up 0.1 percent. Prices for electricity, natural gas and tap water added 0.3 percent last month.
The producer prices are reflected in consumer price inflation with a certain time gap.
