5000 South Korean Won Banknote (1972 Issue)

5,000 Won Won (Issued 1972)

The 1972 issue of the 5,000 Won banknote was released during a period of rapid economic transformation in South Korea, when the government of President Park Chung-hee was accelerating industrial development under a series of ambitious Five-Year Economic Plans. The Bank of Korea’s introduction of higher-denomination notes reflected the growing purchasing power and monetary circulation demands of a modernising economy. This note represents a pivotal chapter in South Korean monetary history, bridging the earlier post-reform currency design tradition with the more refined printing standards that would define later issues. Its issuance signalled the increasing confidence of South Korean monetary authorities in the stability of the Won.

On the front, the note is dominated by a formal engraved portrait of Yi I, also known by his pen name Yulgok, the celebrated sixteenth-century Confucian scholar, philosopher, and statesman, rendered within a circular vignette positioned to the right of centre. Yi I is depicted wearing traditional Joseon-era official court dress, including a distinctive black gat hat, and his long white beard and composed expression are rendered with fine intaglio engraving that gives the portrait considerable depth and authority. The background of the portrait vignette is cream-toned, framed by a decorative circular border. The dominant colour palette across the note is warm brown and terracotta, with cream and pale gold tones providing contrast across the field. To the left of centre, the denomination is printed in large, bold Korean Hangul characters reading 오천원, meaning five thousand Won, in a deep reddish-brown against a lighter background. Above this text, the issuing authority name is printed in Korean as 한국은행권, identifying the note as a Bank of Korea banknote, and below it, 한국은행 appears again in slightly smaller Korean script. In the upper left corner, the numeral 5000 is printed clearly, and matching numerals appear in the lower right corner. A red official seal in circular form, bearing Korean characters, is stamped to the right of the large Hangul denomination text, adding a formal authentication element to the design. The serial number 가라 0400267 다 is printed twice in dark ink — once in the upper left area and once along the lower right — in a clean, upright typeface. Floral rosette ornaments are positioned in the upper corners and lower left corner of the note, providing decorative framing consistent with the guilloché-influenced border work running along all four edges of the note. A decorative column or torch-like device is visible at the lower right of the front design, adding further architectural embellishment. The paper carries a fine, slightly textured quality consistent with the printing standards of the era.

The reverse of the note is printed in a warm brown and ochre colour scheme and features a highly detailed engraved architectural illustration of the Bank of Korea head office building in Seoul, a grand colonial-era stone structure with a domed roof, arched windows, columned entrance portico, and symmetrical neoclassical façade. Trees and steps leading to the entrance are visible in the foreground, and the surrounding street-level detail adds a sense of civic grandeur to the composition. The words “THE BANK OF KOREA” are printed prominently in bold capital Roman lettering along the top of the reverse, while “5000 WON” is printed in clear capital lettering beneath the central building illustration. The numeral 5000 also appears in the upper right corner within a decorative guilloché panel. Intricate rosette and engine-turned patterns fill the left and right margins of the reverse, providing both aesthetic complexity and a degree of visual security to the design. Fine micro-detailed background line work is visible across the entire field of the reverse, and small Korean characters appear beneath the central illustration, likely denoting printing or plate information. The overall engraving of the building is executed with considerable precision, with individual stonework, fenestration, and architectural mouldings rendered in clear, confident linework.

Sell foreign coins and banknotes the simple way: this 5,000 Won banknote can be exchanged through Webuyallcurrency.com together with other old or withdrawn South Korean Won banknotes, all settled in a single transaction.

• Indicate the quantity of 5,000 Won Won banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

If you have leftover currency to exchange, Webuyallcurrency.com accepts South Korean Won banknotes and a wide range of other foreign coins and notes, paying out for the lot in a single straightforward transaction.

Other South Korean Won you can exchange: 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 2000.