Catalog
50 Won FAO
| Issuer | Bank of Korea |
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| Year | 1983-2023 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | A stylized sheaf of rice (Oryza sativa) dominates the field, depicted with two arching, grain-laden panicles bowing gracefully downward from a central stem, rendered in fine relief against a brushed background. The agricultural motif is a direct reference to the FAO theme of food production and reflects Korea's rice-cultivation heritage. Below the rice plant, the denomination legend 오십원 (Fifty Won) is inscribed in bold Hangul characters across the lower portion of the field. The overall design is clean and modernist, with the botanical subject occupying the upper two-thirds of the coin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Hangul |
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| Additional information |
The 50 Won coin was introduced in 1972 as part of South Korea's decimalized coinage reform, with the FAO designation appearing on select years to mark the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's campaigns promoting agricultural self-sufficiency. South Korea's inclusion in FAO coin programs reflected the country's rapid shift from a net food importer to a nation aggressively modernizing its agricultural sector through the Saemaul Undong rural development movement of the 1970s.
The nickel brass composition was adopted partly to resist the humid Korean climate, which had accelerated corrosion in earlier alloys.