South Korea’s producer prices rose 8.5% year-on-year in May 2026, accelerating from a 7.2% gain in April and marking the fastest increase since July 2022. Manufacturing producer prices jumped 13.3%, driven primarily by a 77.5% surge in coal and petroleum products. Prices for computers, electronic and optical equipment advanced 20.2%, chemical products climbed 20.6%, and basic metal products rose 14.5%.
Service prices increased 4.9%, supported by a 35.3% spike in financial and insurance activities. Prices for agricultural, forestry and marine products were up 4.8%, underpinned by a 10.3% rise in livestock prices. Utility prices inched up 0.2%.
On a month-over-month basis, producer prices rose 0.8% in May, slowing from a 2.7% increase in April.
