Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mindmetoo]

Korea has released a new 5,000 won bill. People were pretty excited. Until they found the new note's serial numbers use roman letters. The Bank of Korea explains it's a product of internationalization. When you're trying to fight currency counterfeiting on a global scale, it's pretty hard to enter serial numbers into international databases if the serial numbers use Korean characters. The ultra nationalists screamed about it being evidence of Korea's subjugation etc. It's a bit like Canadians who screamed there was an American flag on the new bills. These ultra nationalist Canadians couldn't recognize Canada's old flag.

The Bank of Korea's head is actually a pretty funny guy. How many national bank heads use terms like "bazillion?" (He was referring to how Korea may soon have to look at lopping a couple zeros off of its currency. Budget figures in won are getting massive.) He also once wryly noted it was high time a woman appears on a bill, as not only do all the bills have men but all the men are named Lee.

The new bill has a little hologram and various other features to make it harder to counterfeit. The old 5,000 won note was easy to copy with a good color photocopier. I read a news article the other day that the new bills don't survive a wash well. It's pretty hard to destroy money after a single wash. They're designed to survive that.

The Joongang Daily did a report here.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200601/25/200601252239031709900090509052.html

I loved their little "test". "Hmmm the bills don't survive a wash so we'll put it in a cup of water. That should simulate a run through the laundry."

However, I discovered that the new 5,000 won notes indeed suffer rather horribly after a single wash.

How it should look:



Mine after one wash:




The hologram is nearly gone and lots of the ink around the 5000 figure is gone. Usually banks, like, test their currency to see if it will survive a wash. It will come as no surprise to people living in Korea that, gosh, no one actually tested this. Planning? Eh?

[leebumlik69]

[itaewonguy]

[Maserial]

Read the article, and couldn't help but notice this shred of information:

[chiaa]

Did Korea design and make the money? A lot of countries do not make their money but out source it to companies that are not of their nation.