South Korea's terms of trade slightly worsened in January from a year earlier as a rise in export prices was offset by a hike in import prices, central bank data showed Friday.

The terms of trade index for products came to 100.34 last month, down 0.8 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.

The index measures the amount of imports a country can purchase for each unit of exports, showing how the country's exports are doing in comparison with those of others.

In January, export prices rose 8.2 percent from a year ago, while import prices increased 9.1 percent, the BOK data showed.

The income terms of trade rose 3.5 percent on-year to 127.07 last month, the data showed. The income terms of trade measures the amount of imports the country can purchase with the total value of its exports. (Yonhap)