20 Won Fairy Princess

North Korea's foreign-currency collectible program, run largely through state-controlled export channels, produced dozens of themed issues in the 2000s explicitly for the international numismatic market rather than domestic circulation. Hard currency from coin sales fed directly into government coffers at a time when UN sanctions were tightening. KM#859 is one of several fantasy-themed pieces from that period, struck in brass to keep production costs minimal against a face value that carried no domestic purchasing utility whatsoever.