Won
Won (
원;
圓;
McCune-Reischauer wŏn;
Revised Romanization:
won) is the official
currency used in both
South Korea and
North Korea. Their exchange values differ, however.
Historically, North and South Korean won have been divided into 100
jeon (전; 錢;
McCune-Reischauer:
chŏn;
Revised Romanization:
jeon; in North Korea, it is also Romanized
jun). Jeon are no longer used in South Korea, as the smallest amount of money that typically changes hands is 100 Won, or roughly 10 US cents.
The word
jeon is also used in Korean to translate the word "cent," and in this context accompanies
bul, which means "dollar." These two words are used by Koreans living in the United States and Canada when referring to the currencies of those two countries.
Exchange rates
\nSampled on May 18, 2004.
North Korean won
\n*Euro (EUR) = ₩n2.64\n*UK pound (GBP) = ₩n3.89\n*US dollar (USD) = ₩n2.20
South Korean won
\n*Euro (EUR) = ₩1419.75\n*UK pound (GBP) = ₩2092.88\n*US dollar (USD) = ₩1184.85
Won is also the name of a new Korean sect of
Buddhism.
Category:North Korea\nCategory:South Korea\nCategory:Currencies