Standalone Korea Coin Encyclopedia

Liberation, Currency Transition, and Division

A transition map from the end of colonial rule to separate South and North Korean authorities and currencies.

한국 화폐 · 韓國貨幣

South Korea 1959 100 hwan, obverse — South Korea 1959 100 hwan. Verified obverse and reverse, shown as a named example that accurately matches this guide's subject. Image source: Bank of Korea Currency Museum · License: Bank of Korea Currency Reproduction Guidelines

South Korea 1959 100 hwan, reverse — South Korea 1959 100 hwan. Verified obverse and reverse, shown as a named example that accurately matches this guide's subject. Image source: Bank of Korea Currency Museum · License: Bank of Korea Currency Reproduction Guidelines

Historical periods: 10
Authorities: 9
Monetary systems: 9
Publication: Published

Historical architecture

One shared history, two modern state branches

Premodern and Korean Empire objects remain part of shared Korean history. After 1945, Republic of Korea and DPRK authorities, systems, denominations, and issue evidence are never merged.

Period	Korean	Dates	Catalog branch
Ancient and Three Kingdoms contexts	고대와 삼국 시대	Earlier–935	Ancient and Three Kingdoms contexts
Goryeo	고려	918–1392	Goryeo
Joseon	조선	1392–1897	Joseon
Korean Empire	대한제국	1897–1910	Korean Empire
Japanese colonial period	일제강점기	1910–1945	Japanese colonial period
Liberation and division	광복과 분단	1945–1948	Liberation and division
Republic of Korea: first won	대한민국 제1차 원	1949–1953	Republic of Korea: first won
Republic of Korea: hwan	대한민국 환	1953–1962	Republic of Korea: hwan
Republic of Korea: second won	대한민국 제2차 원	1962–present	Republic of Korea: second won
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	조선민주주의인민공화국	1947–present	Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Authority and unit

Political control does not define coin ownership

Legal jurisdiction, controlling power, issuer, note bank, central bank, producing mint, and canonical catalog are stored independently.

System	Jurisdiction	Unit model	Dates	Conversion
Goryeo mixed money system	Korean historical jurisdictions before 1945	cast cash, silver and commodity monies	Earlier–1392	—
Joseon mun and cast-cash system	Korean historical jurisdictions before 1945	mun; office and value-class layers	Earlier–1894	—
Yang decimal reform system	Korean historical jurisdictions before 1945	1 yang = 10 jeon = 100 pun	1894–1905	1 yang = 10 jeon = 100 pun
Korean Empire won system	Korean historical jurisdictions before 1945	1 won = 100 jeon	1905–1910	1 won = 100 jeon
Chosen yen system	Korea under Japanese rule	Japanese yen coins with territory-specific banknotes	1911–1945	parity with Japanese yen
First South Korean won	Republic of Korea	won; Bank of Korea coinless issue layer	1950-06-12–1953-02-16	—
South Korean hwan	Republic of Korea	1 hwan = 100 jeon	1953-02-17–1962-06-09	100 first won = 1 hwan
Second South Korean won	Republic of Korea	1 won = 100 jeon	1962-06-10–present	10 hwan = 1 won
North Korean won	Democratic People's Republic of Korea	won and chon	1947–present	—

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Explore more Korean coinage

Follow a period, denomination or collecting topic.

overview Korea Coin Encyclopedia

A standalone, source-led catalog of Korean coinage from early money and cast cash through empire, colonial disruption, division, and the separate modern currencies of South and North Korea.

periods Korean Coinage by Historical Period

A chronological browser that keeps shared Korean history and post-1945 state branches explicit.

denominations Korean Coin Denominations

Mun, pun, jeon, yang, hwan, and won are tied to their own monetary systems instead of flattened into one value ladder.

coin forms Korean Coin Forms and Manufacture

Cast square-holed cash, formed silver money, foreign hosts, and machine-struck coins require different identification methods.

systems Korean Monetary Systems

A relationship map of units, issuing authorities, reforms, and transitions without treating every object used in Korea as a Korean issue.

foreign coins Foreign Coins Used in Korea

Chinese cash, trade silver, and Japanese metropolitan coins retain their host identities while their Korean circulation is documented as a relationship.

goryeo Goryeo Coinage

A cautious overview of court coin experiments, inscribed cash, silver bottle money, and the continuing role of commodity and foreign money.

joseon Joseon Coinage

Joseon coinage is organized around authority, casting institutions, value classes, and monetary change rather than a flat date list.

colonial transition Japanese Colonial Monetary Disruption in Korea

A Korean-canonical transition page distinguishing Japanese political control, Bank of Chosen notes, Japanese metropolitan coins, and surviving Korean Empire money.

north korea North Korean Coinage

A conservative DPRK catalog foundation that separates verified state currency from uncertain commercial and collector issues.

date guide Korean Coin Date and Inscription Guide

Read Hangul, Hanja, Gwangmu, Yunghui, Gregorian, and Juche inscriptions without forcing one dating system across every Korean coin.

Sources

Institutional evidence for this page

Source links support the stated scope; they do not license unsourced varieties, market values, or image reuse beyond recorded terms.

Bank of Korea

History of Korean Currency, 1950–2005

official-currency-timeline · 2026-07-31

Open source

Evidence boundary

Unknown dates, mintages, annual manufacturing, attributions, legal status, and image identity remain unavailable. They never become zero or a confident claim. No market prices are published in this foundation.