South Korean won Banknotes and Coins

South Korea's current everyday note family is ₩1,000, ₩5,000, ₩10,000 and ₩50,000. The Bank of Korea makes each higher denomination slightly longer, while blue, warm red-yellow, green and yellow provide the faster visual shortcut.

The comma is your anchor Read ₩1,000 as one thousand won and ₩10,000 as ten thousand won. Do not let the long string of zeroes turn both notes into the same vague "big number."

₩1,000₩5,000₩10,000₩50,000

Four notes with four personalities

Note	Fast cue	Useful role
₩1,000	Blue, Yi Hwang	Transit top-ups, snacks and useful change
₩5,000	Warm red-yellow, Yi I	A flexible middle-small note
₩10,000	Green, King Sejong	The everyday workhorse
₩50,000	Yellow, Shin Saimdang	Compact value, sometimes awkward for a tiny sale

See the cash

Paper money

Korean won notes form a clear colour ladder: blue 1,000, red-yellow 5,000, green 10,000 and yellow 50,000 won, with scholars, science and botanical art throughout.

South Korean notes connect scholars and artists with calligraphy, plants, painting, astronomy and invention, giving each colour family its own cultural chapter. Cash by Country artwork is an original, simplified interpretation and is not legal tender.

The artwork is a history lesson

Yi Hwang appears on the blue ₩1,000 note, Yi I on the ₩5,000, King Sejong on the green ₩10,000 and artist-scholar Shin Saimdang on the ₩50,000. The reverse sides move through landscape painting, plants, celestial science and natural studies. Our notes borrow those themes without reproducing official currency artwork.

Four practical coins, plus two tiny survivors

Travelers mainly meet ₩10, ₩50, ₩100 and ₩500 coins. The Bank of Korea also lists ₩1 and ₩5 coins as valid currency, but their buying power is so small that they are unlikely to organize your travel wallet.

Coin	Fast clue	Wallet note
₩10	Small and copper-colored	The easiest color distinction
₩50	Small, silver-colored	Check the numeral and size
₩100	Silver-colored	Common everyday change
₩500	Large, silver-colored	The highest regular coin value

Break the 50,000 before the marketA large shop, hotel or convenience store is usually a calmer place to turn a ₩50,000 note into spendable change than a tiny stall selling one low-cost item.

Feel, look and tilt

Use the Bank of Korea's security features when authenticity matters. Current notes combine tactile printing, watermarks and features that change as the note moves. The ₩50,000 includes a holographic strip, while several denominations use color-shifting details.