Costs of apparel, footwear in S Korea rise to 10-year high in Nov

A 5.5 per cent rise in CPI for clothing marked the highest rise in ten years and five months compared to June 2012, when the prices for apparel had risen by 5.6 per cent.

Children's clothing witnessed a 9.6 per cent rise, while women's clothing and casual fashion saw rises of 5.4 per cent and 6 per cent respectively, according to South Korean media reports.

Costs for laundry and repairing of clothing also rose by 10.6 per cent, while prices for shoes rose by 4 per cent.

"It is to our understanding that the cost of raw materials, including cotton, have risen, and, consequently, costs for cut-make-trim process in China has also risen," said Statistics Korea director general Eoh Un-sun last month. Such factors led to this year's record-breaking increase in prices for clothing, he added.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)