2000 South Korean Won Banknote (2018 Winter Olympics)

2,000 Won (Issued 2018)

A cool palette of pale silver-grey, soft lavender-purple, and crisp white defines this commemorative South Korean banknote, with accents of deep charcoal and gold lending the note its distinctive two-toned authority. The restrained use of purple along the vertical security strip and left-hand border contrasts sharply with the bright white of the central field, a deliberate design choice that allowed the dramatic greyscale engraving of the central imagery to take full visual command. Gold typography on the reverse provides warmth and contrast against the otherwise cool composition, reinforcing the note’s commemorative prestige. Issued by the Bank of Korea to mark the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, this 2,000 Won denomination stands as one of South Korea’s most distinctive banknotes of the modern era.

On the front, the dominant imagery is a finely engraved scene of short-track speed skaters in full competitive stride, rendered in detailed greyscale intaglio engraving that captures the lean, aerodynamic postures of two athletes racing towards the viewer, helmeted and in racing suits. The engraving is of exceptional quality, with fine cross-hatching used to convey the texture of the athletes’ suits and the energy of movement on ice. To the upper left, a ghost-image vignette in pale grey shows a biathlete in a shooting stance, printed in subdued tones against the white background. The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic logo appears prominently in the upper left corner, accompanied by the Olympic rings in a crisp, clear print. In the upper right corner, a decorative snowflake motif is printed in dark blue and purple, incorporating the Olympic rings within its geometric structure. The issuing authority name 한국은행 (Bank of Korea) is printed in Korean script across the upper centre, with 이천원 — meaning two thousand Won — below it in large, bold Korean characters. The denomination numeral 2000 appears in very large bold black numerals along the lower left of the note, and is repeated in the lower right corner alongside the serial number AA 0229540 B, printed in a matching black serif font. A vertical security strip is embedded on the left side of the note within the purple border area, and the text 한국은행 총재, meaning Governor of the Bank of Korea, appears in small Korean script in the centre of the note alongside a small official seal rendered in red. The background field incorporates subtle guilloché patterning in light lavender tones, visible across the white central areas, adding a layer of anti-counterfeiting texture to the surface.

The reverse presents a dramatically different aesthetic, dominated by a large and finely detailed intaglio reproduction of a traditional Korean ink painting of a tiger. The tiger is depicted in a crouching, forward-facing posture with its tail curved upward, rendered in rich grey and charcoal tones with careful attention to the striping of its coat and the musculature of its haunches and shoulders. The animal’s gaze is direct and commanding, positioned centrally on the note. Above the tiger, a branch of a Korean pine tree stretches across the upper portion of the design, printed in delicate grey-green tones consistent with traditional East Asian brush painting. A small bird perches near the branch to the right, again in keeping with the classical artistic composition. The background is a soft, pale blue-white wash, evoking the snow-laden winter landscape characteristic of traditional Korean tiger paintings. To the upper left, a scattering of yellow-gold star-like dots and a circular moon-like watermark element are visible. The denomination 2000 appears in large gold numerals in the upper right, and the text Bank of Korea is printed vertically in bold black Roman lettering along the left edge. Along the lower portion of the reverse, the denomination is repeated as 2000 won in large black sans-serif numerals, and small Korean text appears in the lower right corner citing the source of the original artwork. Subtle watermark elements are visible within the paper when held to the light, and the note carries fine background microprinting consistent with Bank of Korea security standards.

Webuyallcurrency.com buys foreign coins and banknotes for cash, including this 2,000 Won commemorative banknote from South Korea. Send it in with any other South Korean Won banknotes you have and we will handle the exchange in a single straightforward process.

• Indicate the quantity of 2,000 Won Won banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Webuyallcurrency.com buys and exchanges foreign currency of every kind, so your South Korean Won banknotes — withdrawn or current — can be sold for cash together with the rest of your leftover coins and notes.

Other South Korean Won you can exchange: 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000.