| 表面の説明 |
The state emblem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea occupies the central field, depicting a hydroelectric power station beneath a radiant five-pointed star, framed by sheaves of rice tied with a ribbon bearing the inscription of the republic. The weight '7g' appears in the lower left field and the fineness '999' in the lower right field. The Hangul legend 'CENTRAL BANK OF THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA' encircles the emblem along the upper periphery, while two sprigs of rice flank the date '1995' at the base. |
Issued by the DPRK during a period when the regime was actively courting hard currency through foreign coin sales, this piece was never intended for domestic circulation. North Korea's relationship with the international numismatic market began in earnest during the 1980s, with the Foreign Trade Bank and later authorized mints producing collector issues sold almost exclusively through European and Asian dealers — the domestic population had no access to them.
KM#71 was struck at a time when the country was entering the worst famine in its modern history, the so-called Arduous March, making the hard-currency revenue from such issues an uncomfortable footnote.