Catalog
| Issuer | Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 조선민주주의인민공화국 중앙은행 돈 표 주체111(2022)년 50000 오만원 |
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| Protection type | Security thread, Serial number |
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| Comments |
North Korean banknotes issued after 2009 — the year of the catastrophic currency redenomination that wiped out household savings overnight — exist in a peculiar documentary limbo. The redenomination allowed citizens to exchange old won for new at a 100:1 ratio, capped at amounts that effectively confiscated private savings above a modest threshold. Public unrest was severe enough that a senior party official was reportedly executed the following year in connection with the policy's fallout.
The 50,000 won face value is notable: high-denomination notes in DPRK circulation have historically functioned more as stores of value or elite transaction instruments than everyday currency, given that average monthly wages remain a fraction of this sum. Pick 69 is thinly documented in Western catalogs — export and collector acquisition channels are narrow, and authentication remains a genuine concern given the state's history of producing high-quality foreign currency counterfeits.