This is the money issued by the North Korean Government. In 1950-51 while I was there the exchange rate was 6,000 Won to the U.S. Dollar. Thus it would take 1,200 of these 5 Won bills to make a dollar. However, my team of the 581st Sig RR Co. was isolated some 50 miles from the nearest military unit. We attempted to control the inflation. One day I went with another GI to a barbershop to get a haircut. I could read and write and speak some Korean at that time and the man ahead of me paid 20 Won for a haircut and shave. The barber wanted 60 Won from me. I didn't think that was fair and we discussed the price after a while he agreed to charge me 30 Won. I gave him the only bill I had which was a South Korean 1,000 Won note and he had to go to the bank to give me 970 Won in change. Try going into your barber shop with a 1,000 bill and see the consternation you would cause. I never could spend this change and brought it back home with me. In South Korea we paid 1,000 won for a haircut. The Korean words on the bill say, "Won Wu" or 5 Won. The mountain shown on the back is Pekto San, or Mount Pekto, the highest mountain of both Koreas.