{"product_id":"north-korea-p-30a-1-50-won-1988-green-capitalist-visitor-chollima-coat-of-arms","title":"North Korea P-30a.1 50 Won 1988—Green \"Capitalist Visitor\"—Chŏllima—Coat of Arms","description":"\u003cp\u003eA rare Cold War relic from one of the world's most secretive states — a banknote issued exclusively for capitalist visitors to the DPRK, in a parallel currency system designed to keep foreign exchange separate from the domestic economy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFront\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e green background; dark green engraving; light green accents\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStylized nuclear power symbol\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWinged equestrian statue \u003cstrong\u003eChŏllima\u003c\/strong\u003e in Pyongyang\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNational Coat of Arms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInscriptions in Hangul: \u003cem\u003e조선민주주의인민공화국 무역은행 외화와바꾼돈표 오십원 1988\u003c\/em\u003e (Foreign Trade Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Foreign currency exchange, Fifty Won)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eBack\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e green background; dark green engraving\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDenomination in Hangul: \u003cem\u003e오십원\u003c\/em\u003e (Fifty Won)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInscriptions: \u003cem\u003e조선민주주의인민공화국 무역은행 50\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVarieties:\u003c\/strong\u003e you may receive any variety:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eP-30a.1 — Green, Capitalist Visitor issue — this note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eP-30a.2 — Purple, issued during the Pyongyang Cultural Festival 1995\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e P-30a.1; Numista N#204264\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Chŏllima horse\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 140 × 70 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing entity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Foreign Trade Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (조선민주주의인민공화국무역은행)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1992\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Second Won (1959–2009)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eA Currency for Capitalists Only\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNorth Korea operated a \u003cstrong\u003edual currency system\u003c\/strong\u003e during the Cold War era. Ordinary citizens used the domestic won, while foreign visitors — especially those from capitalist countries — were required to exchange their hard currency for special \u003cstrong\u003eForeign Exchange Certificates\u003c\/strong\u003e (외화와바꾼돈표). These notes circulated only in designated hard-currency shops (called \u003cem\u003eRakwon\u003c\/em\u003e stores) inaccessible to ordinary North Koreans. The green series was specifically issued for \u003cstrong\u003ecapitalist-country visitors\u003c\/strong\u003e, while a separate red series served socialist-bloc tourists. It's a physical artifact of the ideological wall that divided not just nations, but currencies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Chŏllima — North Korea's Mythic Stallion\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eChŏllima\u003c\/strong\u003e (천리마, \"thousand-li horse\") is a legendary winged horse from East Asian mythology capable of covering \u003cstrong\u003e400 km in a single day\u003c\/strong\u003e — a creature so swift no rider could mount it. Kim Il-sung adopted it as the symbol of the \u003cstrong\u003eChŏllima Movement\u003c\/strong\u003e launched in \u003cstrong\u003e1956\u003c\/strong\u003e, North Korea's answer to the Soviet Stakhanovite movement, urging workers to superhuman feats of socialist production. The bronze statue on this note stands atop the \u003cstrong\u003eChŏllima Statue\u003c\/strong\u003e monument in Pyongyang, erected in \u003cstrong\u003e1961\u003c\/strong\u003e, where a worker and a peasant woman ride the horse skyward — a permanent fixture of DPRK iconography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOwn This Piece of the Hermit Kingdom\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis P-30a.1 in \u003cstrong\u003eVery Fine\u003c\/strong\u003e condition is a genuine artifact of North Korea's parallel economy — a note that once changed hands only within the tightly controlled world of DPRK hard-currency commerce. Few outsiders ever held one legally. Now you can.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCondition: \u003cstrong\u003eVery Fine (VF)\u003c\/strong\u003e. A well-circulated note with sharp design elements and good color. Ships securely in a protective sleeve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout North Korea\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \"Korea\" derives from the \u003cstrong\u003eGoryeo dynasty\u003c\/strong\u003e (918–1392); \"North\" distinguishes it from South Korea following the 1945 partition. The country's official name, \u003cem\u003eChosŏn\u003c\/em\u003e (조선), references the earlier \u003cstrong\u003eJoseon dynasty\u003c\/strong\u003e (1392–1897).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCapital:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pyongyang\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePyongyang\u003c\/a\u003e — city pop. ~3.1 million; metro pop. ~3.3 million (est.).\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pyongyang (평양) means \u003cstrong\u003e\"flat land\"\u003c\/strong\u003e or \"level ground\" in Korean, describing the flat terrain of the Taedong River basin.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePopulation:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~26 million (UN est.) — comparable to Texas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArea:\u003c\/strong\u003e 120,538 km² (46,541 mi²) — slightly larger than Pennsylvania; similar to Greece\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGDP per capita (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purchasing_power_parity\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePPP\u003c\/a\u003e):\u003c\/strong\u003e ~$1,800 (est.; no official data)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain exports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Coal, iron ore, zinc, copper, textiles, seafood (largely via China despite UN sanctions)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBorders:\u003c\/strong\u003e China (north), Russia (northeast), South Korea (south, DMZ)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial\/spoken language:\u003c\/strong\u003e Korean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnicities:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Koreans\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKorean\u003c\/a\u003e (~100%)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMemberships:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Nations\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUnited Nations\u003c\/a\u003e (joined 1991, simultaneously with South Korea); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Non-Aligned_Movement\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNon-Aligned Movement\u003c\/a\u003e (joined 1975)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSovereignty:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAncient Korean kingdoms (Gojoseon, Three Kingdoms, Goryeo, Joseon)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJapanese annexation (1910–1945)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoviet occupation of the north \/ US occupation of the south (1945–1948)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDemocratic People's Republic of Korea proclaimed (1948) — Kim Il-sung as leader\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKorean War (1950–1953) — armistice, no peace treaty; technically still at war with South Korea\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKim Il-sung era (1948–1994); Kim Jong-il (1994–2011); Kim Jong-un (2011–date) — this note issued during the Kim Il-sung era\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eNorth Korea Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJuche ideology:\u003c\/strong\u003e North Korea's state philosophy of \u003cstrong\u003eself-reliance\u003c\/strong\u003e (주체) was codified by Kim Il-sung and is enshrined in the constitution — it effectively replaces Marxism-Leninism as the official guiding doctrine.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSongbun system:\u003c\/strong\u003e Citizens are classified into \u003cstrong\u003e51 loyalty categories\u003c\/strong\u003e (songbun) based on their family's political history going back three generations, determining where they can live, work, and study.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLargest stadium on Earth:\u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003cstrong\u003eRungrado 1st of May Stadium\u003c\/strong\u003e in Pyongyang holds 114,000 people — the largest stadium in the world by capacity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNo internet:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ordinary citizens have no access to the global internet; instead they use \u003cstrong\u003eKwangmyong\u003c\/strong\u003e, a domestic intranet with state-approved content only.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFamine of the 1990s:\u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003cstrong\u003eArduous March\u003c\/strong\u003e (고난의 행군) famine of 1994–1998 killed an estimated \u003cstrong\u003e240,000 to 3.5 million people\u003c\/strong\u003e — a staggering range reflecting the near-total opacity of DPRK data.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eParallel time zone:\u003c\/strong\u003e From 2015 to 2018, North Korea operated on \u003cstrong\u003ePyongyang Time\u003c\/strong\u003e (UTC+8:30), a unique half-hour offset created to symbolize independence from Japan — then quietly abandoned.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52519819477303,"sku":"KP30a1VF","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/30a1o.jpg?v=1782322618","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/north-korea-p-30a-1-50-won-1988-green-capitalist-visitor-chollima-coat-of-arms","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}