On the corner of a busy street in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district is a supermarket with the usual offerings: magazines, toilet paper, an overly generous selection of drinks. But next to the cash register is a large vending machine that sells a much more unexpected product: gold.
The machine in the GS Retail supermarket sells gold bars from as large as 37.5 grams (1.32 ounces) to as small as less than 1 gram. Prices change daily to reflect broader market movements, but start at about 88,000 won ($64) for a 0.5-gram bar.
The machines operate in 30 stores across the company’s retail franchise nationwide, six times more than the service began with in 2022.
