less paper in my wallet…

imagine if the 10-dollar bill was the highest denomination in the u.s.(link)

in south korea, the 10,000 won (or 10 korean dollars) bill is the highest denomination of currency. the alternative to carrying around stacks of ten is the bank issued soo-pyo, or check, which comes in 100,000 and 1,000,000 won denominations. i’ve never felt comfortable carrying around checks — they’re printed on plain paper, and i’ve never tested their resilience or ink properties.

for the first time in 36 years, s.koreans will get a weight lifted from their wallets. the 50,000 won note will feature a woman (sweet!) and save banks millions of dollars in check printing fees. it will also help people deposit at atms that only accept cash deposits, and it will definitely help casino gamblers like me who don’t want pieces of paper.