5 won 1978
About This Note
This is a pristine, uncirculated example of the North Korean 5 Won note from 1978 (Pick P-19a), issued by the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The obverse features two standing figures in formal attire before an industrial cityscape with factories and smokestacks, framed by decorative blue and red geometric borders, while the reverse displays a classical East Asian mountain landscape in traditional ink-painting style with green and pink ornamental framing. The note exhibits exceptional condition with no signs of wear, creasing, or staining, showcasing fine engraved security details throughout.
Common. The 1978 5 Won note (P-19a) from North Korea is widely available to collectors in all grades, including uncirculated specimens like this example. While North Korean currency has become increasingly collectible in recent decades, this denomination and date represent standard circulation issues with substantial surviving populations. The uncirculated condition enhances desirability but does not elevate this note to scarce or rare status.
This note was issued during the late Cold War period when North Korea maintained strict economic isolation and centralized state control. The prominent industrial imagery on the obverse—featuring factories, smokestacks, and urban development—reflects the regime's emphasis on rapid industrialization and socialist economic ideology during the 1970s. The reverse's classical landscape painting, conversely, references traditional Korean and East Asian cultural heritage, representing the state's effort to balance modernization with national cultural identity.
The obverse depicts two unidentified political or state figures in formal dress standing before an industrial cityscape representing socialist economic development, with multiple factory buildings and smokestacks rendered in fine detail. A circular state emblem appears in the upper left corner. The reverse features a classical romantic landscape in the tradition of East Asian ink painting, with misty mountain peaks, rocky formations, and forest vegetation rendered in soft gray and black tones against the note's background. Both sides employ elaborate decorative borders with floral and geometric motifs—blue and red on the obverse, green and pink on the reverse—framing the central designs. Ornate scalloped frames contain the denomination '5' in the upper right and lower left of both sides.
Front: '조선민주주의인민공화국' (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), '중앙은행' (Central Bank), denomination '5' in ornate frames, and serial numbers 'ⅢⅠ 098113' and 'ⅡⅠ 098113'. Back: '조선민주주의인민공화국중앙은행' (Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), denomination '5' in circular frames. All inscriptions are in Korean Hangul script.
Intaglio engraving (copperplate printing), evidenced by the fine parallel line work visible throughout the landscape details, the intricate guilloche patterns in the decorative borders, and the crisp, raised impression characteristic of intaglio production. The note exhibits the hallmark security features of North Korean currency from this era, including detailed engraved line work and fine tonal gradations achieved through traditional engraving techniques.
The observed serial numbers (ⅢⅠ 098113 and ⅡⅠ 098113) indicate serial number variety tracking. Pick P-19a encompasses the standard 1978 issue; varieties within this Pick number may exist based on serial number prefix combinations and printer marks, though no major varieties are widely documented for this specific denomination and year in standard references.
