Import prices rose in January for the first time in three months as global oil prices saw another increase.

According to data by the Bank of Korea on Tuesday, the country's import price index rose to 132-point-27 last month, up four-point-one percent from a month earlier.

The index soared 30-point-one percent compared to a year ago, posting an on-year increase for the eleventh consecutive month.

Import prices fell one percent in November and two percent in December, but reversed in January as the rising prices of crude oil boosted the prices of coal and petroleum products. The price of Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, jumped 14 percent in January.

Export prices also rose one-point-four percent on-month in January, also the first uptick in three months. Registering a 23-point-three percent gain over last January, prices posted growth for the 12th consecutive month from a year earlier.