Standalone Korea Coin Encyclopedia
Liberation Anniversary Commemorative Coins
The 30th, 50th, 60th, 70th, and 80th Liberation anniversary programs, framed with Korean historical institutions.
대한민국 기념주화 · 大韓民國紀念鑄貨
- Official programs
- 65
- Issuance occasions
- 72
- Coin types
- 213
- Status checked
- 2026-07-31
- Publication
- Published
Canonical architecture
Program, issuance occasion, and coin type remain separate
The current Bank of Korea Korean catalog states 72 issuance occasions and 213 coin types through October 2025. Its 65 named catalog sections are modeled as programs. Those three counts describe different hierarchy levels and are not contradictory.
Korean historical framing
Liberation is more than an anniversary label
The catalog records five Liberation anniversary programs. Historical framing follows the National Institute of Korean History: liberation in 1945 and the subsequent establishment of the Republic are related but distinct events, so coin subjects and dates are not collapsed into colonial-source shorthand.
Program browser
Filter the canonical program register
Each program keeps its official Korean name, editorial English and Chinese names, issue span, class, issue count, and one canonical browse relationship.
5 programs
| Program | Official Korean | Years | Class | Coin types | Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30th Anniversary of Liberation | 광복30주년 기념주화 | 1975 | liberation | 1 | Browse class |
| 50th Anniversary of Liberation | 광복50주년 기념주화 | 1995 | liberation | 2 | Browse class |
| 60th Anniversary of Liberation | 광복60년 기념주화 | 2005 | liberation | 1 | Browse class |
| 70th Anniversary of Liberation | 광복 70년 기념주화 | 2015 | liberation | 3 | Browse class |
| 80th Anniversary of Liberation | 광복 80년 기념주화 | 2025 | liberation | 2 | Browse class |
Coin-type register
Representative official coin types
Face value is not issue price. Issued quantity is not authorized, manufactured, distributed, sold, proof, set, or overseas quantity. Unknown fields stay unavailable.
9 coin types
| Program and type | Official Korean heading | Issue | Face value | Material / composition | Specification | Issued quantity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p02-i001 | 백원화독립문 / 태극기를 든 여인 | 1975-08-14 | 100 KRW | base metalCu(75%), Ni(25%) | 12 g · 30 mm | 5,000,000official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 50th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p11-i001 | 만원화안중근 초상과 "大韓國人" 서명 및 손바닥 낙관 / 광복 50주년 기념휘장 | 1995-08-14 | 10,000 KRW | silverSilver(90%), Cu(10%) | 23 g · 35 mm | 63,600official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 50th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p11-i002 | 오천원화김구 초상과 태극기 / 광복 50주년 기념휘장 | 1995-08-14 | 5,000 KRW | base metalNi(100%) | 16 g · 32 mm | 64,500official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 60th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p19-i001 | 이만원화장년과 유아의 손이 서로 뻗어나가는 형상 / 광복60년 엠블럼 | 2005-08-12 | 20,000 KRW | silverSilver(99.9%) | 20.7 g · 35 mm | 91,700official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 70th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p41-i001 | 오만원화 | 2015-08-03 | 50,000 KRW | silver은(99.9%) | 31.1 g · 40 mm | 42,500official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 70th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p41-i002 | 삼만원화 | 2015-08-03 | 30,000 KRW | silver은(99.9%) | 15.55 g · 33 mm | 40,400official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 70th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p41-i003 | 만원화 | 2015-08-03 | 10,000 KRW | base metal구리(65.0%), 아연(35.0%) | 16 g · 33 mm | 41,200official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 80th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p65-i001 | 은화 Ⅰ태극기, 독립운동가에서 미래세대에 이르는 인물들의 행진 / 광복 80년 공식 엠블럼 | 2025-10-15 | 70,000 KRW | silver은(99.9%) | 19 g · 35 mm | 7,500official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
| 80th Anniversary of Liberationkr-comm-p65-i002 | 은화 Ⅱ빛줄기, 길, 발자국, 상승하는 물결무늬 / 광복 80년 공식 엠블럼 | 2025-10-15 | 70,000 KRW | silver은(99.9%) | 19 g · 35 mm | 7,500official-issued-quantity-thousand-pieces |
Legal status and distribution
Legal tender rarely means ordinary circulation
Bank of Korea commemoratives are legal tender, while the Bank's own history notes that they are rarely used to buy goods. Exchange value remains the face value. Proof manufacture, collector sale, par issue, premium issue, set inclusion, and actual circulation are therefore independent facts.
| Layer | What it proves | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Legal tender | Bank of Korea coin and face value | Everyday circulation or current value |
| Proof | Manufacturing presentation when issue-specific | Separate denomination or circulation |
| Par issue | Face value plus incidental costs | Bank exchange at a teller window |
| Premium issue | Special-law financing sale above face | Gold or silver by itself |
Quantities and original prices
Definitions travel with every number
The official catalog's issued quantity is preserved in pieces. The 2019 centennial record separately documents maximum volume, single and set allocations, domestic and international shares, applications, and a lottery. It states a face-plus-cost price formula; no inaccessible amount is invented and no original price becomes market value.
Quantity
Authorized, planned, manufactured, issued, distributed, sold, proof, set, and overseas fields never substitute for one another.
Original price
Recorded only from an official amount or formula and labeled by single coin or set.
Market value
Outside Phase 5; no dealer, auction, or investment claims.
Grading and authentication
Identify the exact issue before evaluating condition
Compare program, batch, denomination, date, composition, weight, diameter or non-round dimensions, edge, official Korean heading, and both designs. For proofs, separate hairlines, haze, spots, handling, capsule or case friction, and cleaning from circulation wear. Packaging and certificates support provenance but cannot authenticate a coin alone.
| Check | Method | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Metal and dimensions | Use the exact Bank of Korea type row | Tolerance needs issue-specific evidence |
| Design | Read Korean subject, denomination, date, and orientation together | One photograph cannot certify authenticity |
| Proof surfaces | Inspect mirrors, frost, hairlines, haze, spots, and cleaning | Proof is not a grade |
| Packaging | Match case, capsule, certificate, and included coins | Packaging is a separate product object |
Evidence conflicts
Current Korean issuer evidence controls
The shorter English Bank catalog and the older 2022 Bank essay remain useful, but they do not override the current Korean catalog's scope. Counts, translated titles, sales classes, quantity semantics, and image use all retain their recorded evidence boundaries.
| Field | Resolution | Publication impact |
|---|---|---|
| catalog counts | Store 65 program records, 72 issuance-event records, and 213 issue records as separate hierarchy levels. | Counts may be shown only with their level labels. |
| official language catalog parity | The Korean catalog controls canonical identity and count; English is a terminology cross-check. | Localized names are editorially normalized and retain the official Korean name. |
| catalog currency | Use the current catalog with a checked date; retain the essay for methodology, not current count. | Every current total carries the 2026-07-31 status-check date. |
| quantity | Preserve issuedQuantity and keep every other quantity field null unless separately sourced. | No missing quantity becomes zero and no issued total becomes a sales total. |
| institutional role | Store issuer, producer, sales operator, and event entity separately. | KOMSCO medals and products are excluded unless linked to a Bank of Korea coin ID. |
| proof and circulation | Proof finish, legal tender, collector distribution, and actual circulation are independent fields. | No Phase 5 issue is labeled circulating without issue-specific official evidence. |
| official image reuse | Archive exact source files and use deterministic processing only; keep all public paths blocked until sample approval. | No Phase 5 source reference is installed as public art in this batch. |
Continue browsing
Related Korea encyclopedia routes
All routes retain independent evidence and publication gates.
Bank of Korea legal-tender commemorative programs from the 1971 first issue through the 2025 Liberation 80th coins, organized by program rather than thin issue pages.
south program directory South Korean Commemorative ProgramsThe canonical hierarchy of 65 Bank of Korea program sections, 72 issuance occasions, and 213 coin types.
south distribution browser Premium South Korean Commemorative CoinsOfficially documented premium event programs, kept distinct from par issues, face value, proof finish, and market value.
south theme browser National Anniversaries and State MilestonesRepublic, government, institutional, and long-horizon historical anniversary programs, without merging liberation into a generic label.
south theme browser Olympic Commemorative CoinsSeoul hosting, Seoul 1988, and PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic legal-tender coin programs.
south theme browser Asian Games Commemorative CoinsSeoul 1986, Busan 2002, and Incheon 2014 Asian Games programs with issue and sale classes kept separate.
south theme browser International Sports Commemorative CoinsWorld Cup, shooting, athletics, swimming, military, and national sports programs outside the Olympic and Asian Games lenses.
south theme browser Cultural Heritage and Landscape CommemorativesFolk traditions, UNESCO sites, Korean cultural heritage, national parks, and mountain programs.
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.
Commemorative Coins — Republic of Korea historical catalog
official-issuer-catalog · 2026-07-31
Open sourceCommemorative Coins
official-issuer-english-cross-check · 2026-07-31
Open sourceThe Past and Present of Bank of Korea Commemorative Coins
official-methodology-and-history · 2026-07-31
Open sourceCurrency Reproduction Guidelines
official-image-use-policy · 2026-07-31
Open sourceBank of Korea Annual Report 2025
official-annual-report · 2026-07-31
Open sourceIssuance of the Centennial Anniversary Commemorative Coins (Second)
official-issue-announcement · 2026-07-31
Open sourceCommemorative Coin Application
official-mint-process · 2026-07-31
Open sourcePublic Drawing for the 100 Years of the Korean Census Two-Coin Set
official-mint-sales-update · 2026-07-31
Open sourceLiberation and the Establishment of the Republic of Korea
official-korean-history-context · 2026-07-31
Open sourceUnknown issue prices, quantity definitions, sales, sets, finishes, circulation use, attributions, and image identity remain unavailable. They never become zero, a market price, or a confident claim.