Cheonggyecheon, the stream running through the heart of Seoul, has seen visitors toss more than a million coins into its wishing well in a little over six years, Seoul City said Tuesday.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation, 1.07 million coins have been thrown into the wishing well totaling 68.73 million won ($59,450) from October 2005 to December of last year.

On a layover from Texas to Beijing, 25-year-old Stephen Tinh visited the well at the mouth of the popular tourist destination to wish for more opportunities to travel.

Zurul Hazriq, a university student from Malaysia, thoughtfully threw in his Malaysian ringgit dime.

“I wished for good health for me and my family,” said the 23-year-old.

Tourists like Tinh and Hazriq and locals alike have tossed in enough coins that they would stack up to more than 10 times the height of the 63 City Building, or roughly 2.5 kilometers, the city said.

It added that the total weight of the coins matches that of two adult elephants, or roughly 10 tons.

Seoul prides itself in being a global city, and it is reflected in the well, of all places.

City officials say 214 different denominations of coins from 62 countries have been used to make wishes.

Besides the Korean won, Japanese yen made up the most coins, followed by the Thai baht, Chinese yuan and the U.S. dollar.

Officials have also found coins from countries like Moldova, Fiji and Uganda.

According to officials, the money collected from the well will be donated to help those in need. Over the past years the money has been given to the Community Chest of Korea and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The restoration of Cheonggyecheon, which had been covered with cement to make a motorway is one of the key achievements by then presidential candidate and former mayor Lee Myung-bak along with his other city renovation projects. But Lee’s critics also continue to raise questions over the hefty amount of maintenance fees.

Visitors to Cheonggyecheon, restored on Oct. 1, 2005, surpassed 3 million after only 10 days of opening and the number surged to 10 million in 58 days.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)