In November 2022, the consumer price index for clothing and shoes in South Korea was up five percent from the same month last year.

Apparel prices surged by the largest margin in more than a decade in November 2022. Children's clothing saw a nine percent increase while women’s clothing and casual fashion saw rises of five per cent and six percent. Costs for laundry and repairing of clothing rose by ten percent while prices for shoes also rose by four percent.The increase in apparel prices follows disruptions in global supply chains and the consequent rise in costs related to releasing textile products. Cost of raw materials, including cotton, has risen, and, consequently, costs for cut-make-trim process in China have also risen. Such factors led to this year’s record-breaking increase in prices for clothing.

The consumer price growth rate is expected to stay in the five percent range until early next year. The country’s consumer price index had risen by five percent to 109.10 in November compared to last November, marking the largest margin of increase in 24 years since 1998. However, this year’s November figure was a 0.7 percent decrease compared to the previous month of October.