30 Won New Coin!

North Korea introduced a new won in 2009 following a currency redenomination that wiped two zeros off the old won, a move that effectively confiscated private savings and triggered rare public protests in Pyongyang. The bimetallic 2011 issues — including this 30 won piece — were part of the physical rollout of that reformed currency, arriving roughly two years after the redenomination decree as the state scrambled to produce sufficient coinage.

The 2009 redenomination is widely considered one of the most economically destructive currency reforms in the country's modern history, with exchange caps set so low that families lost the bulk of their accumulated cash within days of the announcement.