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10 Chon Capitalist Visitor
| Issuer | Foreign Trade Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988-2003 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in teal and green tones on a fine guilloche underprint of interlaced wave patterns. To the left, the National Coat of Arms of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is rendered in dark green within a circular guilloche vignette; to the right, the large numeral '10' and the Korean character '전' occupy a central cartouche framed by ornate lathe-work. The issuing bank name appears in a solid teal panel at the bottom, with the date '1988' and the spelled-out denomination '십전' in the lower right, while a repeated green numeral underprint '10 10 10 10' runs along the upper right margin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is executed in blue and yellow-green tones, dominated by a large central guilloche medallion of concentric radiating lathe-work within a shield-shaped cartouche bearing the bold denomination '10전' in blue. Horizontal bands of repeated micro-text '10전' border the upper and central registers, while the lower right corner carries the numeral '10' in white accompanied by a decorative floral scroll element in yellow-green. |
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North Korea ran parallel currency systems for decades, issuing separate notes for foreign visitors depending on their ideological classification. This note — the "capitalist visitor" series, distinguished by a red serial number prefix — was one of three denominations circulated alongside identically designed "socialist visitor" equivalents and a separate set for use by Koreans themselves. The division was enforced at point of exchange, not on the street, and the notes were accepted only at designated hard-currency shops called "dollar stores," inaccessible to ordinary citizens.
The Foreign Trade Bank began issuing these won certificates in 1988 ahead of the XIII World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Pyongyang that summer — one of the largest such events ever staged, drawing over 22,000 participants. The notes were designed in part to prevent foreign currency from entering general circulation while still extracting hard currency from visitors.
Production of the series is widely attributed to H. Giesecke & Devrient.