South Korea's consumer prices grew at the steepest pace in over nine years in May, driven mainly by a spike in the prices of agricultural and livestock products. 

Statistics Korea said on Wednesday that the consumer price index stood at 107-point-46 points last month. 

It marks an increase of two-point-six percent from a year earlier, the highest growth since April 2012, when the index also increased two-point-six percent on-year. 

In particular, prices of agricultural, livestock and fisheries products jumped 12-point-one percent on-year, posting double-digit growth for the fifth consecutive month. Individually, agricultural products rose more significantly by 16-point-six percent, while livestock products gained 10-point-two percent. Fisheries products edged up point-five percent. 

Prices of industrial goods grew three-point-one percent on-year in May, the highest growth since May 2012, mainly due to the base effect concerning oil prices. Those jumped 23-point-three percent in May, the highest since August 2008, because of the plunge in prices last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Prices of personal services grew two-point-five percent, the highest since February 2019, while prices of gas, water and electricity slipped four-point-eight percent from a year earlier.