1 Won Gymnastics

North Korea's foreign currency commemorative program, active from the 1970s onward, was designed almost entirely for export — these coins were never intended for domestic circulation and were sold abroad to generate hard currency for the regime. The gymnastics issue fits squarely into a sprawling series targeting collector markets in Europe and Asia, where DPRK commemoratives found a modest but reliable buyer base through specialty dealers willing to navigate the sanctions landscape of the period.