The producer price index rose 5.1% in January from a year earlier, while it had climbed 5.8% in December, according to the Bank of Korea. It was the slowest annual rise since March 2021.
The annual rate continued its slowing trend for a seventh straight month, after hitting a near 14-year high of 10.0% in June 2022.
The index rose 0.4% over a month, however, after two straight months of declines, driven mostly by higher utility costs.
