[News Terms] The Fate of the 'Hwanggeumbakjwi Award' Changed as Its Value Soared

Jeonnam Hampyeong-gun Spent 3 Billion Won on 2008 Production
Criticized but Surged to 13.3 Billion Won, a Reversal
Plan to Open Exhibition Hall Around April Next Year

The 'Golden Bat Statue' is a large sculpture created by Hampyeong County, Jeollanam-do, with a budget of 3 billion KRW. After the 'Golden Bat' (designated as the Ministry of Environment's No. 1 endangered mammal), which was believed to have been extinct on the Korean Peninsula since 1942, was discovered around Gobongsan Mountain in Hampyeong County in 1999, the county made the Golden Bat Statue to commercialize it as a tourist attraction.

In 2005, Hampyeong County purchased 162 kg of pure gold (24k) worth about 2.8 billion KRW and 281 kg of silver, and spent 200 million KRW on production costs, completing the statue three years later in 2008. On a turtle-shaped pedestal, inside a circular cave made of silver and copper measuring 1.5 m wide and 2.18 m high, four pure gold golden bats are intertwined, and at the top center, a large golden bat spreads its majestic wings. The total weight reaches 460 kg.

Golden Bat Award.
[Photo by Jeonnam Hampyeong-gun]

Although it was installed at the Golden Bat Ecological Exhibition Hall near Hampyeong Expo Park for permanent display, the exhibition hall’s poor accessibility resulted in low visitor numbers and continuous deficits, leading to criticism of budget waste. Consequently, the Golden Bat Statue was only open to the public for about two weeks annually during the Butterfly Festival (May) and the National Chrysanthemum Festival (October). In March 2019, a trio of thieves attempted to cut through the iron entrance door targeting the Golden Bat Statue but fled after triggering an alarm and were later caught by the police, adding to its troubled history.

However, the situation reversed recently with the rise in gold prices. When the pure gold was purchased in 2005, the price per don (3.75 g) was 63,000 KRW, totaling about 2.7 billion KRW. As of the 10th, the price per don is 309,000 KRW (selling price), and with the increase in gold prices, the estimated value of the Golden Bat Statue based on gold alone has soared to approximately 13.3 billion KRW.

On the 11th, Hampyeong County announced that due to increased inquiries about the Golden Bat Statue following the rise in gold prices, they will relocate the exhibition site to improve tourist accessibility. With a budget of 500 million KRW secured, the Golden Bat Statue currently stored at the Golden Bat Ecological Exhibition Hall will be moved about 500 meters to Hampyeong Expo Park around April next year.

Hampyeong County plans to create a separate 87㎡ exhibition hall near the entrance on the first floor of the two-story Cultural Relics Exhibition Hall currently under construction to display the Golden Bat Statue. The relic exhibition hall will be equipped with quadruple anti-theft measures including security shutters and bulletproof glass, motion sensors, and CCTV, and will be insured against theft with an annual premium of 22 million KRW. Under 24-hour security company surveillance, government officials will also be assigned in pairs for daily duty shifts.

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