• South Korea’s inflation eased slightly in December, suggesting price pressure is cooling in line with the central bank’s expectations.
• Consumer prices rose 3.2% from a year earlier, decelerating from 3.3% in November, the statistics office reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast the pace of price growth would remain at 3.3%.
• From the prior month, overall prices stayed unchanged. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food, slowed to 2.8% from a year earlier, also slightly weaker than forecast.