Money. the old Korean system was so cumbersome that when the invading Japanese army once bought 10,000 yen worth of timber in the interior, and was obliged to pay in copper cast, it was found necessary to charter a small steamer and fill it with the old coins. These, along with the debased nickles, the silver 20 chon (sen) pieces and the dollars (won) are being with drawn and replaced by new coins and bank-notes of equal value with those of Japan. The new metallic money is similar in quality and appearance to that of Japan except that the Korean national emblems (a white cock like the mythological phoenix, and a 5-petal plum blossom replacing the 16-petal chrysanthemum) appear upon them in juxtaposition to various Japanese symbols. The so-called gold standard is represented by 5, 10, and 20 yen pieces (rarely seen); subsidiary copper coins of 1/2 and 1 sen (or chon); nickels (5 chon); 10 and 20 sen (chon) silver pieces; and a half yen (50 sen) called half won. Japanese money passes interchangeably with the Korean, but upon leaving the country the traveler should change his money to avoid its being discounted (in Japan or elsewhere). This also applies to the different bank-notes issued by the (govermental) Bank of Chosen.
