South Korea's consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.2% in March from the previous month and 2.1% from a year earlier, led by gains in services and industrial products, government data showed Tuesday.

Core inflation, excluding food and energy, also rose 0.2% on the month and 1.9% on the year. An index excluding agricultural and petroleum products gained 0.2% and 2.1%, respectively.

The cost of living index climbed 2.4% year-on-year, with food prices up 2.8%. Fresh food prices rose 1.4% on the month but fell 1.3% from a year earlier.