Standalone Korea Coin Encyclopedia

North Korean Coinage

A neutral, evidence-gated guide to DPRK coinage that separates currency law, museum classification, practical circulation, and collector output.

조선민주주의인민공화국 주화 · 증거별 신뢰도 분리

North Korea 1959 1 chon, obverse — North Korea 1959 1 chon. Verified obverse and reverse, shown as a named example that accurately matches this guide's subject. Image source: Russian howitzer · License: CC BY-SA 4.0

North Korea 1959 1 chon, reverse — North Korea 1959 1 chon. Verified obverse and reverse, shown as a named example that accurately matches this guide's subject. Image source: Russian howitzer · License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Monetary reforms: 5
Denominations modeled: 7
Institutional sources: 10
Approved images: 0
Publication: Published

Historical sequence

Reform layers are evidence records, not a seamless narrative

The institutional corpus supports a 1947 monetary break and identifies the 2009 change as the fifth reform. Ratios, legal terms, and coin replacement rules remain unavailable except where separately sourced.

1947-12
Reform layer 1 Institutional evidence supports the reform and issue layer; an exchange ratio is not normalized.
1959
Reform layer 2 The sequence is retained because the BOK museum labels 2009 the fifth reform and catalogs a 1959 issue layer; exact legal terms remain research-required.
1979
Reform layer 3 Issue-layer chronology only; no ratio or coin replacement rule is asserted.
1992
Reform layer 4 Object evidence confirms dated coinage but does not by itself establish the complete reform law.
2009-11-30
Reform layer 5 The exchange treatment is reported by a Korean government research institute; the BOK museum identifies the fifth-reform issue dated 1 December.

Monetary systems

One unit model, multiple reform layers

Formal issue layers do not prove continuous practical use of coins.

Layer	Unit	Dates	Legal confidence	Practical use
1947 won issue layer	1 won = 100 chon	1947–1959	low	unavailable
1959 won issue layer	1 won = 100 chon	1959–1979	low	unavailable
1979 won issue layer	1 won = 100 chon	1979–1992	low	unavailable
1992 won issue layer	1 won = 100 chon	1992–2009	low	unavailable
2009 won issue layer	1 won = 100 chon	2009–present	medium	unavailable

Denomination evidence

Museum category, law, and observed use stay separate

The Bank of Korea Money Museum lists five minor denominations in a current-currency category. This catalog reports that institutional label without converting it into a current DPRK legal opinion or a claim of retail use.

Denomination	Korean	Institutional category	Current law	Practical circulation
1 chon	1전	current currency	not independently verified	unknown
5 chon	5전	current currency	not independently verified	unknown
10 chon	10전	current currency	not independently verified	unknown
50 chon	50전	current currency	not independently verified	unknown
1 won	1원	current currency	not independently verified	unknown
10 won	10원	institutional object record	unknown	unknown
50 won	50원	commemorative object record	unknown	not established

Object register

Strong identity can coexist with unavailable circulation evidence

No issue-level mintage or market value is inferred from museum acquisition.

Issue	Year	Denomination	Metal	Weight	Identity	Legal	Practical
kr-nk-issue-1987-1-won	1987	kr-nk-denom-1-won	aluminium	2.3 g	high	medium	unavailable
kr-nk-issue-1993-10-won	1993	kr-nk-denom-10-won	brass	4.1 g	high	unavailable	unavailable

Circulation evidence

Evidence type controls what may be said

A general payment-system study cannot prove that one dated coin circulated in a transaction.

Evidence	Type	Issue	Legal	Practical	Existence
kr-nk-circ-evidence-bok-classification	institutional-catalog-classification	kr-nk-issue-1987-1-won	No	No	Yes
kr-nk-circ-evidence-payment-boundary	payment-system-research	—	No	Yes	No

Authority model

Issuer and producing mint are different facts

A British Museum record attributes one object to Pyongyang but does not name a mint institution; the catalog preserves that limit.

Authority	Korean	Type	Coin issuer	Confidence
Central Bank of North Korea (historical English label)	북조선중앙은행	central-bank	—	medium
Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea	조선민주주의인민공화국 중앙은행	central-bank	Yes	medium
Pyongyang production attribution; mint institution unresolved	평양 제작 귀속; 조폐 기관 미확정	production-place-evidence	—	medium

Commemorative and metal boundaries

Denomination and silver do not prove circulation or bullion purpose

The current corpus verifies one 1992 silver 50 won object made in Pyongyang. Legal tender, domestic use, export purpose, fineness, weight, and quantity remain unavailable.

Issue	Year	Metal	Place	Legal	Domestic	Export	Quantity
kr-nk-comm-1992-50-won	1992	silver	Pyongyang	unknown	not established	not established	—

Confidence and image integrity

Each claim and each image has its own gate

Three exact institutional image references were screened, but none supplied both a reusable exact face pair and compatible commercial derivative rights. No source file was downloaded, altered, or published.

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Related Korea encyclopedia routes

All routes retain independent evidence and publication gates.

north korea history North Korean Coinage History

Currency change after 1945, the 1947 issue, and later reforms without projecting modern state identities backward.

north korea reforms North Korean Monetary Reforms

Five institutionally documented currency layers, with exchange ratios stated only where the current evidence supports them.

north korea circulation North Korean Circulation Coinage

Coin records whose object identity, legal classification, and observed circulation evidence remain separate.

north korea denominations North Korean Won and Chon Denominations

Won and chon denominations recorded from institutional collection evidence without implying present-day purchasing use.

north korea authorities North Korean Issuing and Minting Authorities

Issuer names and production-place evidence, with an unresolved mint institution kept explicitly unknown.

north korea commemoratives North Korean Commemorative Coinage

Verified commemorative objects are not treated as circulation issues merely because they carry a denomination.

north korea export North Korean Export-Oriented Issues

A determination register that withholds export-oriented classification until distribution purpose is independently evidenced.

north korea precious North Korean Precious-Metal Coinage

Precious-metal objects separated from bullion programs, domestic circulation, medals, and investment claims.

north korea uncertain North Korean Patterns and Uncertain Issues

An explicit quarantine for objects whose issuer, status, purpose, specifications, or quantity cannot yet be resolved.

north korea date guide North Korean Coin Date and Inscription Guide

Hangul, Gregorian dates, and Juche inscriptions are transcribed before normalization; dates are never retroactively relabeled.

north korea grading Grading North Korean Coins

Condition guidance tailored to struck base-metal and precious-metal objects without remote grading claims.

north korea authentication Authenticating North Korean Coins

A cautious identity workflow covering inscriptions, denomination, date, metal, dimensions, edge, and provenance.

north korea collecting Collecting North Korean Coins

Collection planning by evidence class rather than political theme, rarity claims, or investment promotion.

Sources

institutional object record · 2026-07-31

Open source

Evidence boundary

Unknown current legal status, practical circulation, mint institution, exchange ratios, quantities, export purpose, exact image pairs, and image rights remain unavailable. Museum classification, object existence, denomination, precious metal, and foreign acquisition never substitute for those facts.