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| Issuer | Trade Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Blue and grey note with an intricate guilloche underprint across the entire field. At left, the state emblem of the DPRK is rendered in an oval vignette; the large numeral '5' and Korean character '전' appear centrally in bold intaglio print. The issuing bank name is inscribed along the lower border in Korean script, with a serial number at lower left in red and the year '1988' at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 외화와바꾼돈표 조선민주주의인민공화국무역은행 오전 |
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| Comments |
The Trade Bank of Korea (북조선무역은행) issued this note exclusively for use by foreign visitors — it was never intended to circulate among North Korean citizens. The 1988 series came in two distinct versions: notes with a red serial number were for visitors from socialist countries, while blue serial numbers designated capitalist-country visitors, who faced different exchange restrictions and access privileges within the country's tightly managed foreign currency system.
These visitor currency schemes were a Cold War-era mechanism for extracting hard currency while maintaining strict internal economic controls. The 5 Chon is the lowest denomination of the series.