North Korea 1 Won 1978, P-18c, UNC

Figures move through cool green engraving, carrying the disciplined theatrical energy of a staged national narrative.

Design & Symbolism

Obverse

A boy sounding a bugle, a girl carrying flowers, a soldier and a dancer with a hoop form a continuous procession across the face. The national emblem and magnolia blossoms frame the group, while a banner bearing the slogan “Nothing to envy in the world” and a distant city extend the scene beyond the figures. The imagery turns youth, defence and performance into a single vision of public life.

Reverse

Scenes from the revolutionary opera Sea of Blood bring greater tension to the reverse. A soldier raises his rifle as one woman carries flowers and another holds a pistol, with buildings closing the background. On this P-18c variant, a red seal added to the reverse identifies a monetary function distinct from the unoverprinted circulation note.

Collector’s Insight

For collectors, P-18c is the red-seal foreign-exchange version of the 1978 one-won design. Introduced in 1979, it was intended for capitalist visitors making purchases from local residents within North Korea’s divided exchange system. The small overprint changes the role of an otherwise shared design, making the variant especially useful for studying how identical imagery served separate channels of payment.

Shipping & Guarantee

Each banknote is carefully handled and securely packed to ensure safe delivery. Authenticity is guaranteed.

Serial number and prefix may vary from the reference image.