50 Won Kwan Sun Yu

Yu Gwan-sun was a teenage independence activist executed by Japanese colonial authorities in 1920 after leading the March 1st Movement protests in Cheonan. This coin was issued as part of Korea's first commemorative series marking the 50th anniversary of the movement — though "commemorative" undersells it; the series was a deliberate act of national historical assertion by a government still navigating the fraught politics of its relationship with Japan.

The .999 silver specification at just 2.8 grams made for an unusually fine but physically slight piece, struck in limited quantities over two years.