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.