1947 North Korea 5 Won Banknote – Foundational Revolutionary Issue

Issued by the Central Bank of North Korea shortly after the establishment of the Provisional People’s Committee, the 1947 5 Won note represents one of the earliest currency issues of the nascent socialist state. Printed with Soviet assistance, this note reflects the ideological and industrial aspirations of post-liberation North Korea, combining revolutionary imagery with nationalist symbolism.


Banknote Specifications
Feature Details
Country Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)
Year of Issue 1947
Denomination 5 Won
Currency Series First Won (1947–1959)
Issuer Central Bank of North Korea
Dimensions Approx. 129 × 70 mm
Material Cotton-based paper; early issues with watermark, later reprints without
Printing Method Intaglio and lithographic underprint
Languages Hangul and Chinese
Security Features Watermark (symmetrical pattern in original issues)


Obverse

Central vignette depicting a peasant with a hoe and a worker holding a sledgehammer
Background includes factory chimneys symbolising industrial progress
Inscription: 북조선 중앙은행권 원오 (Banknote of the Central Bank of North Korea – 5 Won)
Scripts: Hangul and Chinese
Color scheme: Black ink over blue and red underprint

Reverse

Stylised depiction of Mount Paektu, a sacred national symbol associated with Korean identity and revolutionary mythology
Denomination: 오 원 (5 Won)
Additional inscription: 선조주민 伍 圓 1947 (Democratic Chosun – 5 Won – 1947)

Scripts: Hangul and Chinese


This note is historically significant as one of the first issued under North Korean authority, preceding the formal establishment of the DPRK in 1948. Original 1947 issues with watermark are scarce and highly sought after, while later reprints—often lacking watermarks—were produced in large quantities for the collector market. The note’s iconography reflects early socialist realism and the regime’s emphasis on labor, unity, and national pride.