Apparently, there’s gold in them there trash cans! At least in South Korea.

It seems a janitor was doing his daily routine when he lifted an unusually heavy bin of refuse. Upon further investigation, the janitor who wishes to remain anonymous ( can’t blame him!! ), found 7 kilo bars of gold worth $325,000.

A janitor in South Korea who discovered seven gold bars in a garbage bin could keep them if no-one else claims ownership.

The unidentified male cleaner found the discarded gold bars, that each weighed 1 kilogram and were wrapped in newspaper, at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports. Altogether, the bars are worth 350 million won ($325 million).

The owner of the bullion is a Korean man, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, and two other men ditched the bars at the request of the owner out of fear of being searched at customs. CNBC

It doesn’t matter if the owner ever claims the 7 kilos or not as the janitor will receive a “finders fee” between 5 and 20% of the total value. How awesome would it be to come home from a hard-days work doing a thankless job and have somewhere between 1 and 7 kilos of gold? WOW!

Whether the owner makes a claim for the discarded gold or not, the janitor will still be able to keep 5 to 20 percent of its market price, amounting to between 17.5 million won ($16,250) and 70 million won ($65,000), in accordance with South Korean law, The Korea Times reported. But he could also lose it all if the items are found to be tainted or linked to criminal activity. CNBC

My guess is the janitor enthusiastically showed up to work the next day and whether anyone thanks him or not he has the gold and now has tears of the Sun reigning down in his life!

UPDATE: the “finder” may not be eligible to keep any portion or reward – why? Because it’s Thursday and the government says so.

According to its Lost Articles Act legislation, if an owner doesn’t come forward to claim found property within six months, the finder will be able to take ownership. However, this doesn’t apply to employees on company property.

Ironically, if the finder had not been an airport employee, they would have been eligible to claim between 5-20% of the gold’s total price, a maximum of 70 million won (£48,000; $65,000) under the law.

It’s not clear who will take ownership of the gold at the end of the six month waiting period. BBC

Article posted with permission from Rory Hall