Catalog
50 Won
| Issuer | Central Bank of Korea (North Korea) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1959 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Won |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in violet and green tones, with the National Emblem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the left, flanked by decorative guilloche borders. The central vignette presents a panoramic view of the Taedong River railroad bridge in Pyongyang, with mountains visible in the background. Denomination numerals '50' appear at lower left and right within ornate cartouches, and the date '1959' is inscribed at the bottom centre. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 조선중앙은행 50 오십원 50 (Translation: Central Bank of North Korea, Fifty Won) |
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| Comments |
The 1959 issue from the Central Bank of Korea — the DPRK institution established in 1946 — belongs to the first generation of distinctly North Korean paper money developed after the peninsula's division hardened into permanence. A currency reform in 1959 redenominated the won at 100 to 1, effectively wiping out accumulated inflation from the postwar period and resetting the monetary base. This note is a product of that reform, not a carryover.
The printing date of 30 April 1945 in the catalog data is almost certainly a data entry error — that date predates the DPRK itself by three years.