Catalog
5 Won
| Issuer | Central Bank of Korea (North Korea) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1959 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is set on a light green guilloche underprint and carries a central vignette of Kim Il-sung University; to the left, the circular National Emblem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is enclosed within a decorative rosette. The denomination numeral '5' appears in the upper left corner alongside the Hangul inscription '오원', with a red circular control stamp at centre-left. The year '1959' is printed at the bottom centre, beneath the serial number. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is centred on a large arabesque guilloche medallion rendered in blue and green tones, with the numeral '5' in ornate script at its core. Two symmetrical lozenge-shaped panels flank the central motif, each bearing the Hangul inscription '오원' in blue on a pale underprint. A decorative scrollwork border runs the full perimeter of the note, with the denomination '5원' repeated in plain type at the lower left and right. |
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| Comments |
North Korea's 1959 won series was issued following the currency reform of February that year, which redenominated the old won at a 100:1 ratio — a move designed to wipe out accumulated private wealth and tighten state control over the economy in the aftermath of postwar reconstruction. The Central Bank of Korea had been established in 1946 under Soviet occupation, and the institutional structures inherited from that period shaped how these notes were produced and distributed well into the following decade.
The printing date of 30 April 1945 in the catalog data is almost certainly a data entry error; North Korea did not exist as a political entity until 1948.