1 Won Eastern City Gate

North Korea's foreign exchange coinage of this period was produced almost entirely for collectors outside the country, not for domestic circulation — ordinary North Koreans used a separate internal currency system. The brass collector series issued around 2001 targeted the European numismatic market, with most pieces distributed through state-run agencies including Korea Paektusan Trading Corporation.

KM#707 turns up with some regularity in German and Czech dealer stock, suggesting a specific distribution channel into central Europe.