Does anyone know the background of the old man on Korean coins

Korean currency is issued by the Bank of Korea, the country's central bank, and is denominated in won. Currently, there are three types of banknotes - 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 - and four types of coins - 10, 50, 100 and 500. These currencies also contain a lot of historical facts about Korea. Just by taking out these currencies of different sizes and scrutinizing them a little bit, as well as understanding the origins of the patterns on the currencies, the general public can already have a general idea of the important people and events in the history of the Joseon Dynasty.

First, take a look at the 10,000-won bill, the largest denomination, which features a bust of King Sejong the Great on the right side of the bill.

Sejong (李裪, literally Wonjung. (1397-1450 A.D.) was undoubtedly the most literate of all the kings of the Joseon Dynasty, and he was known as "Sejong the Sage". Sejong loved to read since he was a child, and he probably spent his adolescence in a pile of books. A story about Sejong's life as a bookworm during his youth is recorded in the "Sejong Chonghyeon Sillok" in the "Annals of the Joseon Dynasty". When he was young, King Sejong loved to read so much that he would not sleep or eat. When King Sejong's father, King Taejong, saw his weak son hugging his scrolls all day long, his heart ached so much that he had to secretly order the palace staff to quietly hide all his son's books, so that the bookworm could have a little rest. The palace people took advantage of King Sejong's inattention to hide all the books. When King Sejong realized that all the books were gone, he felt very depressed. It was at this time that he found another book on the floor that he had not had time to collect. Shizong was so happy that he ran over and picked it up, and sat down to read it with great interest. When Taizong saw this, he shook his head and said to his left and right, "To be a good learner, it seems to be really due to nature."

The preference for culture when he was a young man inevitably had a great influence on King Sejong after his accession to the throne. He treated the literati with great favor, and hired talented people regardless of their status and position. One of the most glorious achievements of King Sejong was that he gathered many learned men of the time and set up the Jeongnyeon Hall in Jihyeonjeon to create the correct sound for the people. The Korean alphabet that we see today is the work of King Sejong. Language and writing are the soul of a nation, and King Sejong, who created the Korean alphabet, became the greatest figure in the history of Joseon.

Sejong did not only make outstanding contributions to culture, but he also made great achievements in politics, economy and military. As a result, this all-powerful king was honored with the first place in the ranking of banknotes and was printed on the largest denomination of 10,000 won banknotes.

On the back of the 10,000-won banknote is the Gyeonghae-ro in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.

The Gyeonghaeul is a temple that occupies an important place in traditional Korean architecture, both in terms of scale and aesthetics. While Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in the era of King Taejo Lee Seong-gye of the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeonghae-ro, which is located on a small island in the center of the lake in the palace, was built in the era of King Taejong Lee Bang-won, and was expanded in the era of King Sejong. It was used as a venue for large-scale banquets and reception of foreign envoys, and on nights when the moon is high in the sky, Gyeonghae-ro is bathed in the fresh breeze and has an elegant view. The pond in front of the pavilion is connected by three bridges for people of different status. The designs of the four ungulates carved on the stone bridge are said to have the effect of exempting the disaster of returning to the land. Unfortunately, these sacred animals were unable to guard Gyeonghaeulou for long, and the elegant hall pavilion was torched during the Imjin War. The Gyeonghwailou we see now was rebuilt during the reign of King Gaozong.

The character on the 5,000-won banknote is named Li Er (李珥)(字栗谷. 1536-1584 CE), who was a famous scholar active in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty.

It is said that Lee Eol was a child gifted by a fairy of the East Sea, and that his mother dreamed of a green dragon at Ojukheon before she gave birth to the child, thus giving him the birth name "Hyeongryong. This dragon fairy grandson since childhood from his mother to study, at the age of 13 years old, the first examination of the scholar qualified, in the subsequent student test and the style of the year in Wenke were pointed to the first prize, successive Huang Haidao Supervisor, the big Si Xian and the mandarin Cao, the criminal Cao, the military Cao judge and other official positions. In terms of scholarship, he was a great Confucian scholar of sexology alongside Lee Hwang of Wolgye, and the two of them established the Joseon system of sexology. Lee Eol criticized Lee Hwang's theories and developed his own ideas, which became known as the Kurigok School. Lee Yeol dedicated himself to applying his knowledge to practical politics and worked tirelessly to implement the "Daedong Law" and the "Sikang". However, based on his political career, it seems that his ideas were not immediately adopted by the king. His foresight was often confirmed only after the fact.

It is said that when Li'er was at home, he instructed his subordinates to go to the Flower Stone Pavilion by the Imjin River when they were free and paint the pillars in the pavilion. When the subordinates heard this strange command of their lord, they could not hold back their curiosity and asked why this was done. Li'er did not explain much, but just told the subordinates to do as he wished, for they would need it in the future anyway. Eight years after his death, the Imjin War broke out and the Joseon army was defeated by the Japanese army, and King Seonjo was forced to go to the Imjin River. At that time, it was late at night, and there was no light at the river, while the Japanese army was coming after him. King Seonjo's retinue was holding a lamp, and the light reflected off the painted pillars of the Hanashitei Pavilion, illuminating the area around the river. Thanks to these pillars, Xuanzu was able to cross the river safely, otherwise the king of a country would have fallen into captivity.

The back of the 5,000-won bill bears the name Ojukheon, the birthplace of Yi Eol. Located in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Ojuk-hyeon was the maiden home of Shin In-sun, Lee's mother and a talented woman of the generation, and at that time, it was a popular custom in Joseon for daughters to go back to their mother's home to give birth. It is a house with deep historical significance, which was built at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty as the house of sage Choi Chil-un. Later, Choi's son, Choi Eung-hyun, passed it on to his son-in-law, Lee Si-woon, who in turn passed it on to his son-in-law, Shin Min-hwa, who was Lee Yeol's grandfather. Ojukheon is now becoming the Ojukheon Municipal Museum.

Shin In-sun, the mother of Lee Yeol, was a very talented woman who was very knowledgeable and especially good at painting. At a gathering of ladies of the court, a lady-in-waiting accidentally spilled tea on a lady's dress, which she had borrowed from someone else, so she felt very anxious. Shin In-sun asked the lady to take off her dress, and she painted over the stain with a brush. With her skillful brushwork, the tea stains were transformed into lifelike grapes and young leaves. The stained dress was later sold for a lot of money, enough to buy back several silk tunics.

1,000 won is the lowest denomination of paper money, based on the great scholar of the mid-Joseon dynasty, Wolgye Lee Hwang (??????. 1501-1570 CE) as the obverse image.

Lee Hwang, along with Lee Yeol, is considered two of the pioneers of Joseon sexual science. In terms of seniority, Lee Hwang was the predecessor of Lee Yeol, who criticized Lee Hwang's doctrine but also inherited parts of it. Lee Hwang's ideas influenced the Yeongnang, Yeongnam, and Giho schools of thought, and he was a representative of Joseon's sexuality science. At that time, there were many scholars who followed Lee Hwang, including those who had status in the imperial court, such as high-ranking officials Ryu Seong Sung Ryong and Lee Sang Hae, so it is clear that the Woeggye school of thought was the mainstay of the academic world at that time.

Lee Hwang claimed to be the heir to the Cheng-Zhu school of reasoning, and Confucian dogma was reflected in every detail of his life. From this point of view, Lee Hwang was undoubtedly a defender of the Way. At the age of sixty-nine, Lee Hwang wanted to resign from his position as Right Favorite and return to his hometown due to his deteriorating condition. King Seonjo Daewang disagreed and wanted to keep Lee Hwang in his court. At this time, Lee Yeol paid him a visit and urged him to continue assisting the young King Seonjo at the court, but Lee Hwang firmly refused, saying, "As a minister, I shouldn't leave the court. But as I am seriously ill and incapable of taking on heavy responsibilities, it's time for me to step down. Occupying my position and not seeking to fulfill my duties will bring a bad atmosphere to the court." According to Lee Hwang, loyalty to the monarch does not have to be demonstrated by staying at the court; leaving the court on one's own accord due to old age and illness is an act of loyalty. Although one has left, the heart remains with the king. The relationship between the king and the ministers is maintained through righteousness, and this is the concept of loyalty that Lee Hwang has in mind.

On the back of the 1,000-won bill is Dosan Seowon, located in Andong City, Gyeongsangbuk-do. During his lifetime, Lee Hwang opened a private school here and nurtured a large number of students. After his death, his disciples founded the school here in honor of the famous scholar of his generation. Dosan Seowon was a center of academic research in the eight provinces of Joseon, and it was one of the few that survived the abolition of Seowon at the end of the Joseon Dynasty. The seowon houses a large collection of Lee Hwang's relics.

Korea's banknotes are largely filled with cultural figures as well as cultural relics and monuments in an elegant old-world style. If a country's banknotes are the country's business card, then Korea's national business card design is undoubtedly quite successful. In addition, I wonder if you have noticed that all the characters in these banknotes are from the era of the Lee Dynasty of Korea, and all of them are surnamed Lee? This is also quite an interesting phenomenon...?

Lee Hwang on the one-thousand-dollar bill and Dosan Seowon, which unites the spirit of the scholar?

Lee Hwang? [1501?~?1570] is considered one of the two pioneers of sexology, along with Lee Yeol. Lee Hwang, who was once a "guiding light," resigned from his official position in 1559 and returned to his hometown to concentrate on his studies and discipleship.

Dosan Seowon? is located in Andong City, Gyeongsangbuk-do. During his lifetime, Lee Hwang taught and trained a large number of students at the Dosan private school, and after his death, his students and disciples founded this school. Lee Hwang's great knowledge and integrity led to the construction of this school in honor of his hard work and dedication to learning, and was respected by the court and the academic community, and even though he has been dead for hundreds of years, this school is still a place where Confucian scholars from the Gyeongsang Province area gather. Seowon was abolished at the end of the Joseon Dynasty, but only this place and 2 others were pardoned; the Seowon contains more than 4,000 books and items that Lee Hwang used during his lifetime.

Lee Yeol and his former residence, Ojukheon, on a 5,000-won note

Lee Yeol? [1536-1584]? He took nine official exams before the age of 29 and came first in each of them, thus becoming a "man of style" of his generation; together with Lee Hwang (1501?~?1570), he is considered as the "two great pioneers" of sexology. He was considered one of the "two pioneers" of sexology together with Lee Hwang (1501?~?1570). He had boldly put forward various political ideas and theories of sexology and tried to apply them to practical politics, but experienced many difficulties.

Ojukheon, located in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, was built in the Joseon Dynasty by King Joongjong (reigned 1506-1544) and is the oldest of the current residences. Ojuk-heon, which is shown on the front of the five-thousand-dollar bill, was the former residence of Lee Eol, a famous scholar and statesman in the Joseon Dynasty, and the birthplace of Shin Shi Im-dang (1504-1551), who was the first female painter in the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Eol's mother.

Sejong the Great and Gyeongbokgung Gyeonghaeul on a 10,000-yen banknote

Sejong the Great? [reigned 1418?-?1450] was the fourth emperor of the Joseon Dynasty, who not only created the Korean script used to this day, but also made great achievements in politics, economy, and culture. Next to the head of King Sejong the Great, there is also an automatic water drain that was completed in 1438. Although the water drain, which was built by the most famous scientist of the time, Chiang Young-sil, on the order of King Sejong the Great, has not been preserved, the water drain, which was improved in 1536, is still preserved in Deoksugung Palace. It is said that at a fixed time, a small man automatically comes out and beats a gong and drums to announce the time.

Gyeongbokgung Gyeonghaeul is the most typical building in Korea, both in terms of size and beauty. Although today, it is surrounded by lush woods and benches for visitors to rest, hundreds of years ago it was off limits. Originally built by King Taejong (1367~1422), the father of King Sejong the Great (1937~1450), the Gyeongbokgung Palace had a small island built into the pond in those days, and the Gyeonghyeol building was located on this small island, which was later enlarged during the reign of King Sejong. It used to be a place where large-scale national celebrations and banquets for diplomatic envoys were held, but it was burned down by fire during the Imjin War (1592~1598).

The 06 version of the 10,000-won banknote is printed on the back of the banknote with a picture of the "Heavenly Signs and Events," a 1.8-meter telescope on Mount Pohyun, and an armillary sphere. The Bank of Korea also issued a statement saying, "The armillary sphere used in the banknote design is part of the armillary sphere, which was first made in China but has various forms, and it is unreasonable to think that the armillary sphere on the banknote is a Chinese-made armillary sphere. The armillary sphere in the armillary sphere in the armillary sphere table has a globe in the center, a design that is unique to Korea." ? Korean newspapers criticized that the Bank of Korea only considered the design of the pattern and ignored the scientific and historical significance that the banknote iconography should have. Korean historians have pointed out that it is inappropriate for the Bank of Korea to print the Huntsman, an astronomical observatory invented in China, on Korean currency, which may lead people to believe that the Huntsman is a scientific achievement of Korea. In response to the scientists' criticism, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo analyzed that another main cause of the incident was the absence of scientific and historical experts in the bank's currency pattern advisory board.

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