Extreme heatwaves have driven up the prices of agricultural products across the nation.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT) on Sunday, the average retail price of watermelons stood at 33-thousand-337 won per unit as of Friday, up more than 33 percent from a month earlier. 

This represents a 17-point-six percent increase compared to the same period last year and is 25 percent higher than the three-year average, excluding the highest and lowest prices.

Tomato prices have also surged, rising nearly 70 percent from a month ago and 42 percent year-on-year, with the average retail price reaching six-thousand-716 won per kilogram.

The retail price of napa cabbages, which typically experience wide fluctuations in summer, climbed to six-thousand-114 won per head, surpassing the six-thousand-won mark – a 68 percent increase from a month earlier and an eleven-point-two percent rise from a year earlier.