The new 50,000 bill.

The new 50,000 bill began circulating since June of this year. It's currently the highest denomination in Korean money. "Oh-man-won" is predominantly yellow in color, and is slightly bigger than 10,000 won. The figure on the bill is Shin Saim Dang - the first woman to appear on a Korean bank note. Shin Saim Dang is a renowned writer, artist, and a calligrapher. She is also the mother of the famous Confucian scholar Yulgok whose face appears on 5,000 won. Koreans have divided opinion whether she is an excellent choice to be the face of the bill. Some said she is a perfect representation of a dutiful daughter, a devoted wife, and a caring mother, but her traditional ideals are not appropriate for the modern Korean society. But more than the figure on the bill, a bigger controversy lies on the creation of the bill itself (people who think it's disadvantageous comprise the bigger margin). Critics mentioned the negative impact outweighs the good as it can spiral the cost of goods, increase corruption, and encourage excessive spending amongst people.

The new bill looks slightly similar to 5,000 won (especially when you're inebriated), and it takes some time getting used to. Chris learned a valuable lesson in paying closer attention to details when we went to a small supermarket to buy ice cream. He gave the 50,000 bill thinking it was 5,000 won (which was also the total amount of our purchases). We were already inside the car when he realized he made a terrible mistake. But we were fortunate cause when we came back to the store, the owner gave the 45,000 won change without question. The new bill surely has some positive impact, but for many others, the negative exceeds whatever good it has to offer.