Gold Bars Discarded at Banpo Apartment Recycling Station Found Owner Within a Week

'Gold Bar' Discarded at Banpo Jazi Recycling Station
Discovered by Employee Working at Recycling Sorting Center

Recently, a gold bar was lost at a recycling separation center in a high-rise apartment complex in the Gangnam area of Seoul, drawing public attention, and it has been reported that the owner of the gold bar has come forward.

Gold bars sold at the Jongno jewelry district. Unrelated to the article content. [Photo by Asia Economy]

According to a JTBC report on the 4th, the Banpo Xi Recycling Center in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, stated, "The owner recently appeared and retrieved the gold bar," adding, "We cannot disclose further details." The owner of the gold bar is said to be a man in his 70s who reportedly "accidentally threw it away at the recycling center."

The incident became a hot topic after a post titled "The Majesty of the Recycling Center at Apartment A in Seoul" was uploaded to an online community on the 3rd. The author shared a photo of a notice posted in the apartment, saying, "The scale of lost items in this apartment is extraordinary."

The notice was posted last month by the Banpo Xi Recycling Center. According to the notice, at around 3:30 p.m. on June 27, an employee working at the recycling separation center found a gold bar inside a CD player box.

The notice also stated, "Residents who discarded the CD player are requested to contact the Life Support Center and go through the verification process to retrieve the gold bar," and "If you provide information about the location of the recycling separation center where the CD player was discarded and the shape of the case, the gold bar will be returned after CCTV verification."

A notice seeking the owner of a gold bar found at the Banpo Xi recycling sorting center in Seoul. [Image source=Online community]

Netizens who saw the notice reacted with comments such as, "In wealthy neighborhoods, even the recycling center yields gold bars," "The person who found it has great integrity," "Living in a rich neighborhood means even trash can be valuable," and "The class to be able to throw away gold."

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Exchange, as of that day, the price of gold per 1 don (3.75g) was 393,712 KRW. Domestic gold prices have risen for five consecutive trading days. With increasing economic uncertainty, demand for gold as a safe asset is on the rise.