South Korea's import prices rose 0.2 percent last month from a month earlier due to the local currency' s depreciation against the U.S. dollar, the central bank said Friday.

In local currency terms, import prices rose 0.2 percent in December from the previous month after falling 1.6 percent in November, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The BOK attributed the December turnaround to the South Korean won's depreciation against the greenback, saying that the decline in the won's value drove up last month's import prices despite the fall in global raw material prices.

Import prices for raw materials decreased 0.5 percent on-month in December after posting a 0.4 percent on-month growth a month before. Agricultural product prices dropped 3.8 percent over the cited period, with import prices for mining products falling 0.2 percent.

Intermediate goods prices, however, turned positive. Prices for intermediate goods imported from overseas added 0.7 percent on- month in December following a 3.1 percent on-month decline in November. Prices of chemical and non-ferrous metal products dipped 1.3 percent and 0.6 percent, but oil and steel product prices jumped 3.8 percent and 0.9 percent each.

Prices for capital goods such as machinery and equipment rose 0.7 percent on-month last month, with consumer goods prices gaining 0.6 percent over the same period.

In U.S. dollar terms, import prices fell 1 percent in December from a month earlier, indicating the South Korean currency depreciated against the dollar.