Old air conditioner sparks gold hunt across South Korea
A 20-year-old air conditioner has triggered an unlikely “gold hunt” across South Korea after a viral video revealed that a decorative logo on certain models was made of pure gold.
The frenzy began when a Seoul-based gold dealer and YouTuber, known as Ringring Unnie, posted a video examining metal letters removed from an old LG Whisen air conditioner. The clip shows the letters being melted down and tested, confirming they were made of 24-carat gold.
The dealer later told the customer that the logo, weighing just under one don, was worth more than 700,000 won — a sum that far exceeded expectations for a discarded household appliance part.
The video quickly gained traction online, surpassing one million views within days and prompting viewers to scour homes, storage rooms and scrap piles for similar logos. Social media users shared stories of elderly relatives’ old air conditioners and lamented throwing away metal badges years earlier.
The online buzz intensified when a second customer appeared in a follow-up video, bringing in another Whisen logo after seeing the original post. That logo, in better condition, got an even higher valuation.
As interest surged, media reports began to clarify the origins of the gold-plated find. South Korean newspapers reported that the gold logos were not standard fittings but appeared only on specific limited-edition LG models.
According to industry records, LG — then operating as Lucky-Goldstar — produced around 10,000 special-edition Whisen air conditioners in 2005, each fitted with a pure gold logo to mark the company’s dominance in the domestic market.
The concept was revived in 2008 with a small batch of models featuring gold nameplates engraved with an artist’s signature, further blurring the line between appliance and collectible.
At the time, gold prices were a fraction of today’s levels, making the inclusion of precious metal more symbolic than financially significant. Two decades later, soaring gold prices have transformed those logos into unexpected assets.
The episode has underscored how forgotten promotional gimmicks can gain new value with time — and how, in this case, an old air conditioner quietly became a long-term investment without its owner ever knowing.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
