North Korea introduced a parallel coinage system in 1974 specifically for foreign visitors, segregating hard-currency tourists from the domestic economy. This "capitalist visitor" issue — the designation is North Korea's own — circulated exclusively within the Changgwangsan and later Koryo hotels and state-run dollar shops, preventing any foreign exchange from leaking into the general population. The domestic won coins of identical denomination were legally distinct and non-interchangeable by design.
North Korea introduced a parallel coinage system in 1974 specifically for foreign visitors, segregating hard-currency tourists from the domestic economy. This "capitalist visitor" issue — the designation is North Korea's own — circulated exclusively within the Changgwangsan and later Koryo hotels and state-run dollar shops, preventing any foreign exchange from leaking into the general population. The domestic won coins of identical denomination were legally distinct and non-interchangeable by design.