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Staff Reporter
The average at-pump price of gasoline in Seoul hit 1,800 won ($1.6) per liter Thursday for the first time in 19 months. The price was just below 1,800 won Saturday morning.
The average price on Thursday was 1,801.04 won in Seoul, according to Opinet, a real-time petroleum product price information Web site run by the Korea National Oil Corp.
On Jan. 1, per-liter prices were 1,711.84 won, but have been rising since early last month.
This is the first time gasoline prices in Seoul have reached the 1,800-won mark since September 2008.
On Thursday, prices ranged between 1,998 and 1,734.7 won, with Gangnam-gu posting the highest.
Nationwide, prices were the highest in Seoul and lowest in North Gyeongsang Province at an average of 1.713.3 won.
The industry forecasts fuel prices are not likely to go down any time soon, as global prices remain strong amid an economic turnaround across the world.
``Growing demand for petroleum in developing countries is expected to lead the inflation in the global oil market,'' said Lee Kwang-woo, a senior analyst at the LG Economic Research Institute.
Gasoline prices jumped 15.2 percent in the first week of this month, in comparison to the second week of February when they were at their lowest.
Dubai Crude reached a yearly high earlier this month at $83.7 per barrel, up 7 percent from the beginning of the year.
Some experts forecast per-barrel oil prices, which are calculated on the basis of West Texas Intermediate ― set around $86 now ― will exceed $100 for the first time since 2008.
The number of self-service gas stations is sharply increasing. Over the last 12 months, their number nearly doubled to 280 nationwide.
Recent data also show more people are turning to public transportation.
휘발유값 리터당 1,800원 넘어서
목요일 19개월 만에 서울에서 휘발유 가격이 리터 당 1,800원을 넘어섰다. 지난 토요일 휘발유 값은 1,800원 아래였다.
석유공사가 운영하는 실시간 유류가격 정보 웹사이트인 오피넷에따르면 목요일 서울의 평균 휘발유가는 리터 당 1,801.04원으로 나타났다.
이는 서울의 휘발유가격이 1,800원을 넘어선 것은 2008년 9월 이래 처음이다.
목요일 휘발유 가격은 1,998원에서 1,734.7 원으로 강남이 최고치를 기록했다.
전국적으로 가격은 서울이 최고였으며 경북이 최저로 1,713.3원 이었다.
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