The World's Most Expensive Pigeon... Sold to a Chinese Buyer for 2.1 Billion Won

Published 16 Nov.2020 18:05(KST)

Starting at 260,000 KRW at a Belgian Auction... Rising to 1.7 Billion KRW in 90 Minutes

Belgian racing pigeon 'New Kim' traded at a record high of 2.1 billion KRW on the 15th [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A Belgian racing pigeon was sold at auction for a record-breaking price of 2.1 billion KRW.

On the 15th (local time), according to the British daily The Guardian, a two-year-old racing pigeon named New Kim was sold for 1.6 million euros (approximately 2.1 billion KRW) at the Belgian PIPA auction held that day.

This price far exceeds the auction price of another Belgian racing pigeon, Armando, which was sold for 1.252 million euros (about 1.6 billion KRW) in March last year.

Regarding this, Nicolas Hiselbrecht, CEO of PIPA, said, "Because New Kim is female, this record price is unbelievable," adding, "Usually, males are more expensive than females because they can produce more offspring."

On the 2nd, the starting auction price for the pigeon 'New Kim' was 200 euros (about 260,000 KRW), but due to fierce bidding competition, the price rose to 1.31 million euros (about 1.7 billion KRW) within 90 minutes. It is known that two wealthy Chinese bidders competed fiercely that day.

Belgian racing pigeon 'New Kim' traded at a record high price of 2.1 billion KRW on the 15th [Image source=Yonhap News]

New Kim was listed as the youngest racing pigeon in Belgium in 2018 and then retired, giving her the advantage of being able to produce offspring with excellent genetics for several years to come. Racing pigeons generally can breed until about 10 years of age.

The Chinese buyer of New Kim is reportedly planning to breed her in China.

Meanwhile, pigeon racing has been gaining popularity recently in China. The import of racing pigeons is attracting wealthy individuals, and Belgian pigeons are being sold to China at high prices. Not only New Kim this year but also Armando, sold last year, was taken by a Chinese buyer.

Belgium is also famous for having many pigeon enthusiasts. Hiselbrecht said, "There are 20,000 pigeon breeders in the small country of Belgium," adding, "There is no country that loves pigeons as much as Belgium."