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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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 Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
I even give shopkeepers 10 won coins. In protest at them not having a charity box for me to drop them into.
The usually just give that, 'you wacky foreigners!!', smile. |
That's pretty wild there, Eamo, but I'm afraid I can't feign any worthy reason or cause for my random acts of coin maliciousness... I just like being a wacky foreigner once in a while just for the fun of it.
The only time I ever settled a bill with 10 won coins, it wasn't in protest or anything. It was way back in the day, and I just didn't have any other money.  It was a Sunday afternoon, a day or two from being paid for a job. I some food in the fridge, a pile of bus tokens to get me around the city, and a large glass bottle of 10 won coins. I was bored being broke and at home, and I wanted to go out for a few beers. Itaewon was the only place I knew where they'd let you just buy they beer without ordering anju.
I had the bus tokens to get me there and back, but how to bring the coins? I didn't want or need to bring the whole bottle, so I poured about one-third of its contents into a sock -- yeah, one of my black dress socks -- tied off the end, threw it into a briefcase along with some magazines to read, and I was on my way.
When I got to Itaewon, I intentionally picked a bar that looked on the seedy side (not difficult to do), one that was near empty, and one that I wouldn't mind never going back to again. I went in, grabbed a stool right at the bar, and ordered my first 500cc of OB. I think it was 1,300 won for 500cc in those days. While I was drinking that first mug, I counted out my coins into thirteen 100-won stacks... and then another thirteen stacks for the second mug. I expected the girl behind the bar to remark on this, or giggle or frown... something. But she didn't bat an eye. She just went "flip, flip, flip, flip, flip..." as she brushed each stack of coins, rapid-fire, from the bar into her other hand, and then dumped them into the register. Like it was just another day in the Ville.  |
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thorin
Joined: 14 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| I wish that Korea had 1,000 won coins... |
Which reminds me, where are the 50,000 and 100,000 bills? |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I had the bus tokens to get me there and back, but how to bring the coins? I didn't want or need to bring the whole bottle, so I poured about one-third of its contents into a sock -- yeah, one of my black dress socks -- tied off the end, threw it into a briefcase along with some magazines to read, and I was on my way. |
Thank god it was a dress sock. At least you preserved some dignity....  |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| thorin wrote: |
| JongnoGuru wrote: |
| I wish that Korea had 1,000 won coins... |
Which reminds me, where are the 50,000 and 100,000 bills? |
Thorin, my friend, that's getting to be like the Yongsan base relocation, isn't it? It's always a year or two away, it seems. |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 12:17 am Post subject: |
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I think President Roh has a bit "To Do" list tacked up on the wall of his office
"Make larger bills/revaluate the won"
"Move Army base"
"Crackdown on prostitution"
but he's too busy updating his cyworld page to get round to any of em. |
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HamuHamu
Joined: 01 May 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 12:20 am Post subject: |
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| Sage Monkey wrote: |
It says something about the average North Korea making an average of 60-100 won per month so a 500 won coin is worth a lot there.
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Yes, but the North Korean won is not worth the same as the South Korean won.
US $1 = 2.2 NK won (KPW)
(North) KPW 100 = 47,000 (South) KRW
So, yes, I bet 500 won is still worth a lot in the North, but it's not 5 times the average salary. |
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dogbert
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: Killbox 90210
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 12:21 am Post subject: |
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| Actually, the article, from 2001, was only about a Canadian kyopo visiting North Korea and taking with him back to Canada a North Korean 500 won bill. |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 12:37 am Post subject: |
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| I think there are two kinds of money in North Korea- one for locals, one for everyone else. Could be wrong though. |
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fidel
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Location: North Shore NZ
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 1:15 am Post subject: |
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My wife came across that news item last week.
It also said that the 10 won coin of the reddish variety from 1967/1970 are also worth a couple of hundred thousand, found several but hard to judge whether they are reddish! |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:06 am Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
| Quote: |
| while the ajumma is all Abbaddabadabababab!!, |
That's funny 'cause that's exactly what it sounds like to me too!!!
I even give shopkeepers 10 won coins. In protest at them not having a charity box for me to drop them into.
The usually just give that, 'you wacky foreigners!!', smile. |
I think I read the melt value of the 10 coin has exceeded the face value.
Me, I save my 10 won coins and then try to ditch them in a subway ticket machine or a coffee machine. Some subway ticket machines are programmed to only accept 5. |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:22 am Post subject: |
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| thorin wrote: |
| SuperHero wrote: |
| Every 6 months I get around 200,000won of free money to spend. It's a good way to save money for a rainy day that doesn't really feel like saving. |
You're pretty stupid if you can trick yourself into thinking you're getting "free money". I've got that 200,000 in the bank any time I want it. |
I see anonymity has resulted in yet another person losing any concept of politeness as I can hardly imagine an intelligent person calling another person stupid just because they disagree with they manner in which they handle the change in their pocket. Perhaps your parents are cousins and you never learned manners? Please enlighten us... |
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Ihavenolips
Joined: 22 Sep 2004
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 3:27 am Post subject: |
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| The talk about coins reminds me of something I heard many times. Maybe it is an urban legend, but are coins from North Korea illegal here? I thought it would be nice to buy a couple of North Korean coins for my brother's collection. However, I have been told by many Koreans that I could get into trouble if I am caught with one. It seems like there must be a few shops in Seoul that sells these coins. |
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dogbert
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: Killbox 90210
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 9:05 am Post subject: |
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| Ihavenolips wrote: |
| The talk about coins reminds me of something I heard many times. Maybe it is an urban legend, but are coins from North Korea illegal here? I thought it would be nice to buy a couple of North Korean coins for my brother's collection. However, I have been told by many Koreans that I could get into trouble if I am caught with one. It seems like there must be a few shops in Seoul that sells these coins. |
There are a few shops near what remains of the Central Post Office in Seoul that sell both North Korean currency and postage. |
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uberscheisse
Joined: 02 Dec 2003
Location: japan is better than korea.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 9:30 am Post subject: |
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| can you provide more specific directions. subway stations, dogbert? my dad would go ape-beep about NK coins. |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2005 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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| uberscheisse wrote: |
| can you provide more specific directions. subway stations, dogbert? my dad would go ape-beep about NK coins. |
Directions to the Central Post Office? Dude!  Ever been downtown?
Myeongdong. Hoehyeon Station, Line 4. Get out. Ask anyone (except a Gangnam illiterate) where the post office is. Or just walk toward a massive construction site. As Dogbert says, the old CPO building is gone, another is being built. |
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