Wikipedia

Korean yen

Also found in: Financial.
Korean yen
조선 엔 (in Korean)
Korea 1Yen 1932.jpg
Korean one yen note (1932)
Denominations
Subunit
 1/100Sen
 1/1000Rin
Symbol
Banknotes10 sen, 20 sen, 50 sen
圓1, 圓5, 圓10, 圓100
CoinsNone
Demographics
User(s)Japanese Korea
Issuance
Central bankBank of Chosen
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

The Korean yen was the currency of Korea between 1910 and 1945. It was equivalent to the Japanese yen and consisted of Japanese currency and banknotes issued specifically for Korea. The yen was subdivided into 100 sen. It replaced the Korean won at par and was replaced by the South Korean won and the North Korean won at par.

Banknotes

From 1902-1910, banknotes were issued by Dai-ichi Bank[1]. Denominations included 10 sen, 20 sen, 50 sen, 1 yen, 5 yen, and 10 yen. The sen notes were vertical and resembled the Japanese sen notes of 1872 and the Japanese military yen at the turn of the century. These notes were redeemable in "Japanese Currency at any of its Branches in Korea".

In 1909, the Bank of Korea (1909) (韓國銀行) was founded in Seoul as a central bank and began issuing currency of modern type. Following the establishment of the Bank of Korea, it would immediately begin to issue its own banknotes, these new banknotes were redeemable "in gold or Nippon Ginko notes."[2] Most of the reserves held by the Bank of Korea at the time were banknotes issued by the Bank of Japan and commercial paper.[2]

The banknotes issued by the Bank of Korea were only very slightly modified from the earlier Dai-Ichi Bank banknotes that had circulated in Korea, this was done to reduce any possible confusion during the transition period.[2] The name of the Bank of Korea was inserted and the royal plum crest of Korea replaced Dai-Ichi Bank's 10-pointed star emblem, and the reverse sides of the 1 yen banknotes changed colour, but all the overall the changes were minute.[2]

Bank of Korea notes were dated 1909 and issued in 1910 and 1911. After Korea lost sovereignty to Japan in 1910, the Bank of Korea was renamed the Bank of Chosen (朝鮮銀行, Korean: Joseon Eunhaeng, Japanese: Chōsen Ginkō). The first Bank of Chosen note was dated 1911 and issued in 1914. 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, and 100 yen were issued regularly, while there were occasionally some sen notes (5, 10, 20, 50 sen). 1000 yen was printed but never issued at the end of World War II. The earlier issues were redeemable "in Gold or Nippon Ginko Note". A similar phrase was written in Japanese on later issues.

Sen

1916

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
5 sen
(Stamp currency)
5 Sen - Provisional postage stamp issue by the Government of Korea (1917) 01.jpg 5 Sen - Provisional postage stamp issue by the Government of Korea (1917) 02.jpg N/A N/A
10 sen 10 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1916) 01.jpg 10 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1916) 02.jpg Ornamental
20 sen 20 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1916) 01.jpg 20 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1916) 02.jpg
50 sen 50 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1916) 01.jpg 50 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1916) 02.jpg

1919

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
10 sen 10 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1919) 01.jpg 10 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1919) 02.jpg
20 sen 20 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1919) 01.jpg 20 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1919) 02.jpg
50 sen 50 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1919) 01.jpg 50 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1919) 02.jpg

1937

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
10 sen 10 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1937) 01.jpg 10 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1937) 02.jpg
50 sen 50 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1937) 01.jpg 50 Sen - Bank of Chosen (1937) 02.jpg

Yen

1911

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
1 yen
(Gold certificate)
1 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 01.jpg 1 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 02.jpg
5 yen
(Gold certificate)
5 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 01.jpg 5 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 02.jpg
10 yen
(Gold certificate)
10 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 01.jpg 10 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 02.jpg
100 yen
(Gold certificate)
100 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 03.jpg 100 Yen in Gold - Bank of Chosen (1911) 04.png

1932

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
1 yen 1 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1932) 01.jpg 1 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1932) 02.jpg
5 yen 5 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1932) 01.jpg 5 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1932) 02.jpg
10 yen 10 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1932) 01.jpg 10 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1932) 02.jpg

1938

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
100 yen 100 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1938) 01.jpg 100 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1938) 02.jpg

1944

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
1 yen 1 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944) 01.jpg 1 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944) 02.jpg
5 yen 5 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944) 01.jpg 5 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944) 02.jpg
10 yen 10 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944-1945) 01.jpg 10 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944-1945) 02.jpg
100 yen 100 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944) 01.jpg 100 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1944) 02.jpg

1945

Denomination Front Reverse Obverse motif Reverse motif
1 yen 1 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1945) 01.jpg 1 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1945) 02.jpg
5 yen 5 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1945) 01.jpg 5 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1945) 02.jpg
100 yen 100 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1945) 01.jpg 100 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1945) 02.jpg
1000 yen
(Never released)
1000 Yen - Bank of Chosen (1945).jpg N/A

See also

  • Bank of Korea (1909–1950)

References

  1. ^ 株式會社第一銀行, Kabushiki gaisha Dai-ichi Ginkō
  2. ^ a b c d Joseph E. Boling, NLG (1988). "Korea - A Numismatic Survey. (This article has been transposed to this format from a July 1988 supplement issue included with Coin World. Its original title was: Beyond Cash - A Numismatic Survey of Korea.)" (PDF). Moneta-Coins.com. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
Preceded by:
Korean yang
Reason: heavier influence by Japan
Ratio: 1 yen = 5 yang
Currency of Korea of Empire of Japan
1902 – 1945
Concurrent with: Korean won until 1910, when Japan completely annexed Korea
Succeeded by:
North Korean (old) won
Reason: end of World War II and Division of Korea
Succeeded by:
South Korean (old) won
Reason: end of World War II and Division of Korea
Ratio: at par
This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia® - the free encyclopedia created and edited by its online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of Wikipedia® encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information, please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.

Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.