South Korea's annual inflation grew less than one percent for the second straight year. 

According to Statistics Korea on Thursday, the consumer price index came to 105-point-42 this year, up point-five percent from a year earlier. 

The annual inflation for last year posted point-four percent growth. 

It marked the first time that the annual inflation grew less than one percent for the second consecutive year since the statistics agency began compiling related data in 1965.

The slow growth is attributed to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed down oil prices and limited the price increases of services amid social distancing measures. 

The nation has so far seen growth for annual inflation in the zero-percent range four times, including in 1999 right after the foreign currency crisis. 

For December, consumer prices gained point-five percent from a year earlier, growing less than one percent for the third consecutive month.