SEOUL, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Price for imported goods to South Korea rose for the seventh consecutive month owing to higher price for mining and metal products, central bank data showed Friday.

The import price index gained 0.4 percent in January from a month earlier, continuing to go up since July last year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The consecutive growth was affected by price increase for mineral and metal products that offset cheaper crude oil and the local currency's appreciation versus the greenback.

Price for Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 61.97 U.S. dollars per barrel in January, down from 62.05 dollars in the previous month.

The average South Korean won versus U.S. dollar exchange rate declined to 1,456.51 won per dollar in January from 1,467.40 won in the prior month.

Price for imported raw materials, including mining products, grew 0.9 percent in January on a monthly basis, higher than an increase of 0.4 percent in the previous month.

Import price for intermediary goods climbed 0.8 percent last month, with price for primary metal products jumping 6.3 percent.

Price for imported capital and consumer goods slipped 0.3 percent and 1.4 percent each.

The export price index was up 4.0 percent in January from a month earlier, keeping an upward trend since last July.