[Fact Check] The Truth Behind the Report of a 171.6% Surge in Spinach Prices

Recently, spinach prices have surged compared to the previous month, making it a key item burdening the cost of meals. One might wonder if something significant happened to spinach farms, but this year's yield is actually better than last year's. So why is there such a fuss? The reason lies in the Producer Price Index report, which focused solely on price fluctuations without any explanation, and some articles that copied this information verbatim. In late August, the Bank of Korea announced the "July 2025 Producer Price Index," which included a statement that the agricultural product index rose by 8.9% from the previous month, with spinach rising by 171.6%. Many media outlets focused on this figure without analyzing the fundamental reasons behind the price increase, flooding the market with dozens of articles using keywords like "soaring," "spinach," and "meal cost." These reports did not consider the seasonal characteristic of reduced spinach production every summer. Looking at ...