20 Won Eubaena Glacialis

North Korea's commemorative wildlife series from the early 2000s was produced almost entirely for export — hard currency generation, not domestic circulation. These pieces were sold through foreign numismatic agencies, primarily in Europe and China, as the DPRK had no functional retail coin market for its own citizens.

Eubaena glacialis, the North Atlantic right whale, was among the most critically endangered cetaceans on earth at the time of issue, with a population estimated below 300 individuals.