5 Dollars Namdaemun

Namdaemun — formally Sungnyemun — is the southern great gate of Seoul, originally completed in 1398 under the Joseon dynasty. Palau has issued commemorative silver pieces honoring international landmarks since the 1990s, operating under a licensing model that generates revenue without any pretense of domestic circulation. This particular issue followed a moment of genuine cultural trauma: in February 2008, Namdaemun was deliberately set ablaze by a 69-year-old man disputing a land compensation claim, destroying much of the 600-year-old wooden structure. Restoration work ran until 2013 — the same year this coin was struck.