A 20-year-old air conditioner has suddenly become the hottest, most sought-after vintage find in South Korea after a video showing that its logo was made of pure gold went viral.
The YouTube clip, titled “Is there gold in air conditioners?”, shows a Seoul-based gold shop owner known as Ringring Unnie examining a handful of crumpled metal pieces brought in by a customer.
“What is this?” she asks on camera.
“It was removed from an LG Whisen air conditioner. It was the logo attached to the front of the air conditioner,” the customer replies. “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.’”
The video then cuts to the shop owner melting down the six letters and holding up a nugget, which she says tests as 24-carat gold. She calls the customer to deliver the verdict.
“It wasn’t 18-carat – it was pure gold. The weight is slightly less than one don, so I’ll give you 713,000 won (US$482),” she says.
