Russian journalist's Nobel Prize medal sold for 133.5 billion won...a successful bid at an all-time

Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year to raise funds to help children in Ukraine's refugees, auctioned off a medal worth $13.5 million on the 20th (local time).

A spokesman for the New York Heritage Auction, which ran the auction, said the bid was made through an agent, without identifying the buyer. The winning bid of $13.5 million is 100 million Swiss francs, suggesting that the buyer came from abroad.

Muratov said after the nearly three-week auction, which closed on World Refugee Day, "I hoped there would be a huge solidarity, but I didn't expect it to be this huge."

The previous record for winning the Nobel Prize medal was $4.76 million (about 6.14 billion won) recorded in 2014 by James Watson, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for joint discovery of DNA structure in 1962. Three years later, Francis Creek's medal, which he co-won with Watson, was sold for $2.27 million.

Muratov, who co-won the Peace Prize with Philippine journalist Maria Ressa in October 2021, helped found Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian journalist, and was editor-in-chief when the Kremlin closed in March due to oppression of the media and dissidents against Ukraine. He had already announced that he would donate $500,000 in prize money to charity.

Muratov said the proceeds would go directly to UNICEF. UNICEF is trying to help children displaced by the war in Ukraine. Minutes after the bidding, UNICEF said it received funds from the auction house.

Online auctions began in time for the International Children's Day ceremony on June 1 and closed on the 20th, International Refugee Day, and many bids were made by phone or online.

"I can't believe it," said Joshua Venesch, chief strategy officer at Heritage Auction. I was really surprised. I don't really know what happened," he said.

Muratov and Heritage officials said those who failed the bidding could also help by donating directly to UNICEF.

Date: 2021-06-08

Reporter: 서화목