South Koreans hunt for old LG air conditioners after logos turn out to be pure gold

According to LG Electronics, a limited run of 10,000 Whisen air conditioners bearing gold logos were sold in 2005. - Photo: SCREENGRAB FROM RINGRING_UNNI/YOUTUBE

SEOUL: An old LG air conditioner from more than two decades ago is suddenly the hottest commodity in South Korea right now, after a viral video showed its brand logo is made of pure gold.

This long-forgotten detail resurfaced after YouTuber Ringring Unni, a retail jewellery shop owner in Seoul, uploaded a video on Dec 11 that shows her appraising the six-letter “Whisen” logo pieces removed from an LG Electronics air conditioner model released in 2005.