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100 Hwan
| Issuer | Bank of Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in green on a cream ground with an elaborate guilloche underprint of radiating lines in red and green. At centre, the bank title 韓國銀行券 appears in a decorated rectangular panel. To the left, an oval vignette encloses the denomination in Chinese characters 百圓, framed by a dragon motif, while to the right a circular vignette presents a turtle ship (Geobukseon), the famed 16th-century Korean warship. A red seal impression appears below the left vignette, and the serial number and plate number are printed in black. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 券行銀國韓 行銀國韓 원백 圜百 (Translation: Korean Bank Note, Bank of Korea, One Hundred Won, One Hundred Hwan) |
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| Comments |
The 100 Hwan was introduced following the 1953 currency reform that replaced the old Won at a rate of one Hwan to 100 Won — a direct response to the hyperinflation generated by three years of war on the peninsula. South Korea lacked the domestic printing infrastructure to produce secure currency at scale, which is why the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington handled production for several denominations in the early Hwan series.
The Hwan itself proved short-lived. A second currency reform in 1962 retired it entirely, reintroducing the Won at 10 Hwan to 1 Won.