Hike of Public Service Charges Will Be Curbed

The Korean government is considering allowing the charges of only half of six to seven public services, whose charges are expected to require an upward adjustment, to be raised in the second half of this year.
The government will suppress the hike in the charges so that it will not affect the increasing rate of 3 percent in the consumer price to be targeted until the end of this year.
It decided to freeze the cost of public services during the first half in the event that the crude oil price soars to 18 dollars a barrel or the prices of agricutural and marine products jump due to abnormal weather.
A high-ranking official said Tuesday that cost increases in the three or four services, including telephone bills and postal fees, are inevitable because the government repressed raises in these services during the first half of the year.

Jangsoo Seo:jsbee@joongang.co.kr