[Photo News] Seollal inflation

Piles of apples are displayed at a large supermarket chain store in Seoul on Wednesday. Ahead of the Lunar New Year’s holiday season next month, grocery prices have soared more than 20 percent compared to a year ago, according to price tracker Korea Price Information on Wednesday. The average price of three apples at a traditional market was 15,000 won ($11.20), a 42.86 percent surge from the same period last year. (Yonhap)