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South Korea's Annual Inflation Rate Accelerates to 3.1% in May

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South Korea's annual inflation rate gained speed at 3.1% in May from 2.6% in April, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics published Tuesday.

Analysts expected a 3% rate for the month, according to Investing.com.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices were up 0.5%, unchanged from the pace of growth between March and April.

Meanwhile, the country's annual inflation rate excluding food and energy was 2.5%, compared with the prior reading of 2.2%. Month over month, core consumer prices inched up 0.5%, against the previous 0.3% rise.

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