The five won of 1978 tells the story of the union of factory and field. On the front a worker with a cogwheel and a book stands beside a peasant woman holding a sheaf of wheat, while a city with factory chimneys rises behind them.

The back leads from the city to the mountains: the waterfalls of the Taebaek range with Mount Kumgang at the centre. The note was issued in several versions that differ in the colour of the seal, and catalogues list them as separate varieties.

For a North Korea collection it is a place in the 1978 series, and for a thematic set it combines an industrial scene and a mountain landscape on one note. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

Every item in the VPcoins catalogue tells a small story about its country and era.