From 140 Million to 800 Million: The Turnaround Story of Gangwon's Sundial Once Criticized for "Wasting the Budget"

Yanggu County Created Sundial Sculpture With 2.4kg of Gold
Gold Value Skyrocketed Over 18 Years

In recent years, as gold prices have soared, the value of the large sundial installed in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province has also reportedly risen sharply.

According to Yonhap News Agency on the 25th, Yanggu County produced a sculpture in 2008 by enlarging a Joseon-era sundial, the Angbuilgu, to 20 times its actual size and installing it on the car-free street of Jungang-ro, Sang-ri, Yanggu-eup.

Sundial Sculpture in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This sculpture measures 4 meters in diameter and 2 meters in height. The sundial's gnomon is made with 2 kilograms of pure gold (24K) and 2.3 kilograms of 18K gold. When it was first built, there were criticisms in the local community about "wasting the budget," but after 18 years, the situation has changed. The price of gold has skyrocketed compared to the past.

According to data from the Korea Gold Exchange, at the end of 2008, the price per don (3.75g) of pure gold was roughly 150,000 won. Currently, that price has reached 880,000 won, marking more than a fivefold increase. Over the same period, the price of 18K gold per don surged from around 100,000 won to the 600,000 won range, soaring approximately six times. At the end of 2008, the value of the gold used for the large sundial was about 140 million won, but now that value is around 800 million won.

The Angbuilgu sundial sculpture in Yanggu-eup was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest sundial in the world. It can currently be viewed for free by anyone on Jungang-ro in Yanggu-eup.

Golden Bat Statue exhibited at the 27th Hampyeong Butterfly Festival. Hampyeong County

Meanwhile, the Angbuilgu sculpture is not the only municipal artwork to experience an unexpected windfall from rising gold prices. In Hampyeong County, South Jeolla Province, the Golden Bat Statue—made in 2008 using 162 kilograms of pure gold and 281 kilograms of silver—cost 2.7 billion won to produce, but at the beginning of this year its value exceeded 30 billion won.

Due to security concerns, Hampyeong County had until now temporarily displayed the Golden Bat Statue at the Golden Bat Ecology Exhibition Hall near Hampyeong Expo Park. However, as public interest grew, the county refurbished the exhibition area and converted it into a permanent display.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.