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50 Chon
| Issuer | Bank of Joseon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 朝鮮銀行券 五拾錢 朝鮮銀行 (Translation: Bank of Joseon note, 50 Chon, Bank of Joseon) |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in dark blue, dominated by an elaborate guilloche underprint with interlocking floral and scroll vignettes filling the entire surface. A central oval cartouche bears the English inscription FIFTY CHON in bold serif lettering, with the numeral 50 repeated on each lateral panel, and THE BANK OF KOREA running beneath in a secondary cartouche. Stylized floral rosettes and symmetrical arabesque ornamentation complete the densely patterned design. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Joseon was established under Japanese colonial administration and continued operating after Liberation in August 1945 as a transitional monetary authority for the southern zone. This 50 Chon note was printed in April 1945 — before the surrender — but issued in 1949, meaning it circulated years after the colonial framework that produced it had ceased to exist.
The four-year gap between printing and issue reflects the severe currency shortages that plagued the nascent South Korean administration. American military government authorities in the south approved continued use of existing Joseon Bank stock rather than organize an immediate replacement issue.
Hyperinflationary pressure through the late 1940s made low-denomination chon notes effectively worthless in daily use well before the Korean War demolished what remained of the monetary system.