1 Won 3 000 Years of Korean History

Issued to mark the millennial year, this piece commemorates a founding mythology rather than a documented historical event — the 3,000-year figure references the Dangun legend, the semi-divine founder of Gojoseon, whose reign is traditionally dated to 2333 BC. North Korean state historiography has long treated Dangun not as myth but as verified fact, and in 1993 the government announced the supposed discovery of his tomb near Pyongyang, a claim rejected by archaeologists outside the DPRK.

Aluminium commemoratives of this type were produced primarily for foreign collectors and diplomatic distribution, not domestic circulation.