SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's consumer price rose 5.2 percent in January from a year earlier, marking a faster increase in three months, statistical office data showed Thursday.

The consumer price inflation accelerated in three months after rising from 5.6 percent in September to 5.7 percent in October last year, according to Statistics Korea.

After peaking at 6.3 percent in July, the headline inflation had roughly been on the decline to 5.7 percent in August, 5.0 percent in November and 5.0 percent in December.

Price for electricity, natural gas and tap water soared 28.3 percent in January from a year ago due to higher public utility rates.

Processed food price advanced 10.3 percent in January, marking the fastest increase since April 2009.

Core consumer price, which excludes volatile agricultural and oil products, picked up 5.0 percent in January from a year earlier, posting the highest in about 14 years since February 2009.