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Old LG air conditioners with 24k gold logos spark treasure hunt
An old LG air conditioner model has turned into an unlikely object of desire in South Korea after a viral video revealed that its logo was made of pure gold.
An old LG air conditioner model has turned into an unlikely object of desire in South Korea after a viral video revealed that its logo was made of pure gold. The discovery has prompted many households to rummage through storage rooms and grandparents’ homes in search of the decades-old units.
The renewed interest centres on certain LG Whisen air conditioners released roughly 20 years ago, The Independent reported.
YouTube video triggers nationwide hunt
The frenzy began after a Seoul-based jewellery shop owner and YouTuber, known online as Ringring Unni, uploaded a video titled “Is there gold in air conditioners?”. In the clip, a customer brings in crumpled metal letters removed from an old LG Whisen air conditioner.
“What is this?” the shop owner asked in the video, according to a translation provided by South China Morning Post.
“It was removed from an LG Whisen air conditioner. It was the logo attached to the front of the air conditioner,” the customer replied. “The delivery person said it was gold, and the advertisement also mentioned it was gold. At the time, they said: ‘If you take this off, we’ll give you 10,000 won.’”
Ringring Unni proceeded to melt down the six letters on camera before delivering her verdict over the phone.
“It wasn’t 18-karat – it was pure gold. The weight is slightly less than one don, so I’ll give you 713,000 won ( ₹43,000),” she said.
A don is a traditional South Korean unit for gold, equal to 3.75 grams. The video quickly went viral, clocking more than a million views and sparking hundreds of comments from viewers wondering whether their old air conditioners might contain hidden treasure.
Follow-up video fuels excitement
The buzz intensified days later when Ringring Unni posted a second video featuring another customer who had brought in a Whisen logo after watching the original clip.
“I once removed this logo and took it to a local gold exchange, but they said, ‘There’s no certificate, and it doesn’t seem like gold.’ I was about to throw it away when I saw the video,” the customer says.
Because the letters were in better condition, the second logo fetched a higher valuation of 748,000 won ( ₹45,000).
Gold prices then vs now
In 2005, LG Electronics released 10,000 special Whisen units to mark five consecutive years as South Korea’s top air-conditioner seller. Each model featured a 24-carat gold logo on the front panel.
(Also read: Is it cheaper to buy gold in Dubai rather than India? Motilal Oswal executive answers)
However, gold prices in 2005 hovered between 50,000 and 70,000 won per don, according to the The Korea Times. Nearly two decades later, the price of gold has climbed to roughly ten times that level.
In 2005, the price of gold in India for 24 karat (per 10 grams) was around ₹7,000. Today, the price of 10 grams gold is ₹1.34 lakh.
