5000 South Korean Won Banknote (Ojukheon House)

5,000 Won (Issued 1983)

In South Korea during the early 1980s, a 5,000 Won note represented a meaningful sum for ordinary citizens — enough to cover a modest family meal, a short taxi journey, or several days’ worth of basic groceries in a period of rapid industrialisation and economic growth. It was a denomination handled daily by shopkeepers, office workers, and students alike, circulating widely through the bustling markets and expanding cities of a nation transforming itself into one of Asia’s foremost economies. Issued by the Bank of Korea in 1983, this note belongs to a series that served the South Korean public through decades of remarkable social and economic change before being withdrawn from circulation. Today, these notes are encountered by travellers, returning expatriates, and families clearing out old belongings who may be unaware that the currency can still be exchanged.

On the front, the note is dominated by the portrait of Yi I, known by his pen name Yulgok, one of the most celebrated Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty, depicted in three-quarter view to the right side of the note. He is shown wearing traditional Joseon-era scholarly dress, including a dark gat — the distinctive wide-brimmed black hat — and a pale grey-blue hanbok robe, rendered with fine intaglio engraving that gives texture and depth to the fabric folds and facial features. His expression is calm and authoritative, befitting his historical stature as a philosopher, writer, and government official of the sixteenth century. To the left of the portrait, a red circular seal stamp is prominently placed, bearing Korean characters, and small Korean text identifying the portrait as Yi I appears beside the figure. The central and left portions of the note are decorated with intricate guilloché patterning in soft olive-green and brown tones, incorporating geometric latticework and fine rosette designs. A stylised image of what appears to be a decorative screen or bookshelf — a chaekgeori motif — is visible in the left-centre area, rendered in muted blue-green and brown. The denomination “오천원” (five thousand won) is printed in large Korean script in the centre of the note, with “5000” appearing in numerals at the lower right. The issuing authority “한국은행” (Bank of Korea) appears in Korean script both at the top of the note and again in smaller text mid-left. At the top, “한국은행권” is printed in Korean characters on a green background. The serial number “가라 0333253 라” appears twice — once at the upper left and once at the lower right — printed in black. Small decorative circular motifs appear in the lower-left corner, and additional ornamental scrollwork borders the right-hand side of the note in warm brown and orange tones.

The reverse of the note is rendered primarily in warm tawny-brown, amber, and pale ochre tones, with the centrepiece being a detailed engraved scene of Ojukheon, a historic Joseon-period villa located in Gangneung, North Jeolla Province, which is famed as the birthplace of Yi I himself. The building is depicted with architectural precision — its traditional tiled roofline, timber structure, surrounding stone walls, and gated entrance are all clearly delineated through fine line engraving. Mature trees flank the structure on both sides, and a set of stone steps leads up to the main gate, conveying a sense of peaceful scholarly retreat. “THE BANK OF KOREA” is printed in bold serif Latin lettering across the upper centre of the reverse, with “5000” appearing in a brown panel at the upper right. The denomination “5000 WON” is printed in large text across the lower left in a warm brown tone, with a further “5000” denomination in orange-brown at the lower right. The left margin carries a vertical strip of fine geometric diamond-pattern guilloché work in brown-gold tones, alongside a circular decorative floral medallion rendered in the same palette. Additional ornamental elements including small rosette and scroll motifs appear in the upper-left corner. The overall paper has a cream-ivory tone, and show-through from the front design is faintly visible when the note is held to the light.

Exchange foreign coins and notes with no fuss: Webuyallcurrency.com accepts this 5,000 Won banknote and other old or withdrawn South Korean Won banknotes, paying out for everything together 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

Whether you want to sell foreign coins and notes or exchange leftover currency from past trips, Webuyallcurrency.com accepts South Korean Won banknotes alongside modern money and settles everything in a single, easy transaction.

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