Pure 1,000-gram gold bars produced by So [Getty Images]

Pure 1,000-gram gold bars produced by South Korea's LS-Nikko are stacked in a dealers room in Seoul on January 9, 2009. Gold prices have soared on strong demand due to the local currency's sharp depreciation against the US dollar last year.AFP PHOTO/KIM JAE-HWAN (Photo credit should read KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP/Getty Images)

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