Housing costs in South Korea last year increased by their fastest pace since 2013,... mainly due to extreme weather.
According to the Bank of Korea on Monday, costs related to housing...such as water and electricity bills as well as rent,... marked close to 131 billion U.S. dollars in 2018.
That's an increase of 4-point-3 percent compared to the previous year...and the fastest annual uptick in five years.
The central bank attributed the spike to last summer's sweltering heat and the bone-chilling cold in the winter...which prompted households to spend more on energy.
In August last year, temperatures in Seoul sizzled at highs not seen in 111 years.