Issued under King Sukjong, who made the most sustained attempt in Goryeo's history to establish a functioning coin economy in a kingdom where cloth and grain had served as exchange media for centuries. The cursive script variant is attributed to the same reform push that produced multiple calligraphic styles across a single denomination — a deliberate signal of imperial sophistication rather than a functional distinction.
The experiment largely failed. Merchants and commoners continued preferring commodity currency long after Sukjong's death in 1105.
Issued under King Sukjong, who made the most sustained attempt in Goryeo's history to establish a functioning coin economy in a kingdom where cloth and grain had served as exchange media for centuries. The cursive script variant is attributed to the same reform push that produced multiple calligraphic styles across a single denomination — a deliberate signal of imperial sophistication rather than a functional distinction.
The experiment largely failed. Merchants and commoners continued preferring commodity currency long after Sukjong's death in 1105.