250 Won Return of Hong Kong to China

North Korea issued a surprisingly large run of commemorative silver pieces throughout the 1990s, nearly all of them targeting the international collector market rather than domestic circulation — hard currency was the point, not patriotism. The return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in July 1997 offered an obvious occasion, and Pyongyang moved quickly to capitalize on it alongside dozens of other mints worldwide doing exactly the same thing.

KM#526 was struck by the Mint of Korea and distributed almost entirely through European dealers.