"Never Broken in 45 Years" Korea's First Wall-Mounted Air Conditioner Joins LG Electronics

Hong Yeon-woo and Moon Hee-sun Couple Use 1979 Product Without Malfunction... "High Historical Value, Donated"

LG Electronics' wall-mounted air conditioner, first released domestically in 1979, has returned to the company after 45 years of use without any breakdowns. LG Electronics plans to display the donated product at its facilities and utilize it as a legacy demonstrating its air conditioning technology.

LG Electronics announced on the 3rd that the couple Hong Yeon-woo and Moon Hee-seon, residents of Gyeongju, donated the wall-mounted air conditioner (model name: GA-100SP) they purchased in 1979 and have been continuously using.

This product attracted market attention as the first domestic wall-mounted air conditioner that separated the outdoor unit, mounting only the main body that blows air on the wall. At that time, the domestic air conditioner market was dominated by window-type air conditioners with the outdoor unit and main body attached. The wall-mounted type produced less noise than the window type and reduced issues such as air leakage through window gaps.

Mr. Hong Yeon-mu (left) and his wife Moon Hee-sun, residents of Gyeongju, are inspecting a wall-mounted air conditioner (model: GA-100SP) that they purchased in 1979 and have used without any issues for 45 years. /
Photo by LG Electronics

Mr. Hong Yeon-mu, who donated the product, said, "In the spring of 1979, I purchased the wall-mounted air conditioner thinking of my young children who had to study while struggling through the midsummer heat." He added, "I have been proud of the LG Electronics air conditioner that has kept our whole family cool every summer for 45 years without a single breakdown," and explained, "I judged it to have high historical value and decided to donate it." Hong’s eldest son, Professor Hong Jae-seong of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) (Department of Robotics and Mechanical Engineering), recalled that when the air conditioner was first installed in his room the year he entered elementary school, he and his younger sibling joyfully jumped around.

LG Electronics will exhibit the first released products, including the donated air conditioner, in various forms at LG Inhwa Garden and the Changwon Research Center. They plan to use these as a legacy to demonstrate LG Electronics' advanced air conditioning technology to visitors. Previously, LG Electronics had received a donation of the first domestically released stand-type air conditioner (model name: GA-025) from 1983.