The price of soju leaped 11.7 percent in 2016 from the year before, the highest rate of increase since recordkeeping began in 2000, a statistical agency said Monday.
The cost of eating out on average was up 2.5 percent from the previous year, as the prices of popular dishes, including beef and raw fish, were raised in the 4 percent range.
The only food item whose prices declined was locally made tea, which dropped 0.1 percent, statistics showed.
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