Catalog
50 Won Socialist Visitor
| Issuer | Foreign Trade Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a central vignette of the International Friendship Exhibition museum complex set against Mount Myohyang, rendered in a detailed intaglio-style print. The national coat of arms of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea appears alongside the architectural scene. Inscriptions identifying the issuing bank and the denomination frame the design, with the date 1988 printed below the central composition. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in red on a pale pink ground and centres on a large guilloche rosette enclosing the bold numeral '50' in white relief, surrounded by concentric engine-turned lathe-work bands. To the left, a circular vignette shows a globe with a stylised olive branch in blue, symbolising international friendship. The issuing bank name in Korean appears at upper left, the denomination numeral '50' is repeated in the upper-right and lower-right corners, the Korean script for 'fifty won' runs vertically at lower left, and the date 1988 is printed at the base of the central rosette. |
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| Comments |
North Korea maintained a parallel currency system for foreign visitors throughout the 1980s, issuing separate notes for socialist-bloc nationals and capitalist-bloc nationals — this 50 Won belongs to the former category, identifiable by the red serial numbers used for that series. The distinction wasn't merely administrative; it enforced hard divisions in where holders could spend their money, restricting socialist visitors to designated shops and facilities separate from those accessible to Western currency holders.
The Foreign Trade Bank series was introduced partly to capture foreign exchange without exposing the domestic won to external valuation pressure. P#38 is among the higher denominations in the socialist visitor series, suggesting it was intended for larger controlled purchases rather than routine transactions.