Consumer prices rose over five percent in January as the growth pace accelerated for the first time in three months.

According to Statistics Korea on Thursday, the country's consumer price index stood at 110-point-11 in January, up five-point-two percent from a year earlier.

It represents a rise of zero-point-two percentage points from the five-percent growth the previous month, the first on-month acceleration in three months.

Consumer prices are slowly stabilizing since peaking at six-point-three percent in July of last year, but remain in the five-percent range for the ninth consecutive month since last May.

The prices of electricity, gas and water soared 28-point-three percent on-year in January, the highest since 2010 when the nation started compiling related data.

The prices of industrial goods gained six percent last month from a year earlier, while prices of agricultural, livestock and fisheries products rose one-point-one percent on-year.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and oil prices, rose five percent on-year, the highest since February 2009.