500 Won Football World Cup

North Korea issued a substantial run of commemorative silver pieces throughout the 1990s aimed squarely at the international collector market — hard currency the regime badly needed following the collapse of Soviet aid after 1991. These coins were never intended to circulate domestically and were produced largely for export through foreign numismatic distributors, particularly in Europe and Japan.

The 1994 World Cup in the United States is the likely subject here, as the 1995 date reflects typical post-event commemorative timing. North Korea's national team has qualified for the World Cup only twice — 1966 and 2010 — making the subject diplomatically curious given the domestic propaganda value of football in the DPRK.