2000 Won Wrestling

Issued for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, this coin is part of a large commemorative program the Bank of Korea produced across multiple denominations and metals between 1982 and 1988. Wrestling — ssireum — was a deliberate choice, included to represent Korea's indigenous folk sport rather than only the Greco-Roman and freestyle disciplines recognized by the IOC. Seoul was the first Korean city to host the Games, awarded the bid in 1981 over Nagoya in a vote that carried significant Cold War political weight, though several Eastern Bloc nations ultimately boycotted.