The first part on Korean currency dealt with coins. Today’s post deals with the paper money.
₩1000 : As of now it’s equivalent to about $1. It’s blue; with one side containing a portrait of Yi Hwang (이 황). Yi Hwang (이황) was one of the greatest scholars of Korea. The portrait of Yi Hwang (이황) takes up the foreground, while the 성균관 takes up the background. The 성균관 used to be a center for higher learning. The 성균관 was a close version of what we consider a modern university to be. The other side contains a painting by 정선 a renowned Korean painter.
₩5000 : is pinkish or reddish in color. One side has a portrait of Yi Yi (이이), another famous Korean scholar. The background contains a black bamboo, which symbolizes the city of 강릉. The city of 강릉 was the birthplace of Yi Yi (이이). The opposite side contains a painting of insects.
₩10,000 : is of a greenish color. One side has the portrait of King Sejong (세종). King Sejong (세종) is known to have invented the Korean alphabet. The background contains the 일월오봉도, which is a folding screen with a sun and moon. The sun represents the king and the moon represents the queen. The folding screen was used by Korean kings to display their power. It was placed just behind the royal chair. The other side contains the 혼천시계, which is the earliest made clock in Korea.
₩50,000 : is orange/yellow in color. This is a new bill that will be debuted June 23rd, 2009. (So exciting!) One side wil contain a portrait of Shin Saimdang (신사임당), who was one of the few woman painters in Korea’s history. She is the mother of Yi Yi (이이) (mentioned above). The other side contains one of her paintings.
₩1 : has the 무궁화 on one side of the coin and the numeral one on the other side of the coin. The 무궁화 is South Korea’s national flower. 
₩5 : has the 거북선 or turtle ship on one side and the numeral five on the other side. The 거북선 is the warship responsible for defeating the multiple Japanese invasions of 1592-1598.
₩10 : has the 다보탑. The 다보탑 is a temple in South Korea. It’s considered one Korea’s architectural treasures.
₩50 : has a stalk of rice.
₩100 : has General 이순신 on one side. General 이순신 was one of Korea’s most loved generals..jpg)
Before I go let me tell you a little more about jajang myun (자장면). There is the instant kind, where you boil some water and mix in the black paste, but the ones at good restaurants hand make the noodles. Jajang myun (자장면) is really inexpensive. About 3-4 U.S. dollars per bowl, which includes the side dishes. The side dishes include kimchi (김치) or spicy cabbage and danmuji (단무지) or pickled radish. If you’re still hungry you can mix some rice with the black bean paste sauce. This is called jajang bap (자장밥). If you’re really hungry you can order a kopbbegi (곱빼기), which is double the portion of one bowl of jajang myun (자장면).
Take Shin Soo Choo (추신수). He played as an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners in 2005-2006 and now he plays for the Cleveland Indians. He’s only 26 years old and he makes about $1.35 million a year. I know that’s not a lot compared to what A-rod gets, but compared to what South Korean ball players make in Korea, this is a ton of money. He suffered an injury and had to undergo surgery for it, but now he’s up and running. His nickname is “The Train”. It comes from his last name Choo, which sounds a lot like the sounds trains make.
Cha Seung Bek (
Jae Kuk Ryu (
Chan Ho Park (
Full House (풀하우스): It’s been especially popular in Taiwan and stars the female lead Song Hye Kyo (송혜교) and male lead Rain (비). It’s a love story with the theme being opposites attract.
Winter Sonata (겨울 연가): It caused a huge phenomena back in Japan for Korean dramas (드라마). The male lead is Bae Young Jun (배용준) and the female lead is Choi Jiwoo (최지우). It’s another love story with the theme being that some couples are just meant to be together no matter what.
Jewel in the Palace (대장금): Was a hit in China. The story highlights the ups and downs of a woman trying to survive the harsh world of palace life. The protagonist of the story is played by the real life Lee Youngae (이영애). The theme of the story is that persistence will pay off and that people who do good will prevail.
