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5 Won
| Issuer | Central Bank of North Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First Won (1947-1959) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a peasant holding a hoe and a worker grasping a sledgehammer, set against a backdrop of factory chimneys symbolising industrial progress, rendered in a socialist-realist style. Korean Hangul and Hanja inscriptions identifying the issuing bank and denomination are arranged around the central design, flanked by guilloche underprint borders. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central intaglio-style landscape vignette of Mount Baekdu with snow-capped twin peaks rising above a wooded foreground, printed in blue-green tones against a yellow-olive guilloche underprint. Hangul denomination panels (오 원) and Hanja (伍圓) are set within ornate cartouches to the left and right respectively, with the date cartouche (1947) centred at the foot of the design and the Korean inscription 선조주민 at the top centre. |
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| Comments |
North Korea's first independent currency series, issued in 1947, replaced the Soviet occupation-issue won that had circulated since 1945. The Soviet military had previously controlled monetary policy in the northern zone through the Red Army's own notes, so this issue marked a genuine transfer of financial authority to the nascent DPRK administration — though Soviet influence over the printing and design process remained considerable.
Printing was handled in the Soviet Union. Specimens with Russian-language cancellations surface occasionally, confirming the USSR's direct involvement in production.