5000 Won Kim Jong Sook

Kim Jong Sook — mother of Kim Jong Il and wife of Kim Il Sung — occupies an unusual position in North Korean iconography. Unlike the two male leaders, her image on currency is relatively rare, making this denomination notable within the DPRK series regardless of face value. The CS prefix in the Pick reference indicates this is catalogued as a commemorative or special issue, distinct from the standard circulation run.

Watermark-only security for a note from 2017 is thin by any measure, reflecting both the limited sophistication of Pyongyang's printing infrastructure and the note's likely domestic function in a currency system that never fully trusted its own paper.