The Bank of Korea (BOK) 한국은행 will issue a new 50,000 won banknote in June. The new banknote depicts Shin Saimdang (1504-1551), a female writer and calligrapher from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). She represents a “wise mother,” raising one of the most prominent scholars, Yulgok, whose portrait is on the 5,000 won bill. Shin is going to be the first woman to be featured on Korean currency.
The BOK unveiled a sample of the new banknote to the public on February 25 after completing its design and anti-forgery protection. However, concerns started to rise over Shin’s portrait. Members of the Gangneung Choi family, relatives of Shin, requested the BOK to retrieve the original look of Shin, saying that the portrait drawn on the new bill is totally different from Shin’s original portrait.

Choi Sun-kyu, a representative of the Choi family said, “Shin’s face is longer in the original copy than in that on the banknote,” and added, “Shin passed away at the age of 48 but the banknote shows a woman in her 30s without any wrinkles.”
In response to the discontent, Lee Jong-sang, who painted Shin for the new 50,000 won banknote, confirmed that he drew her based on the original copy and replied that a person’s features can look different if you view them from a slightly different angle. Moreover, the BOK stated that Shin’s portrait was drawn with the help of experts based on the original copy and therefore the new 50,000 won banknote will not be modified and will begin its circulation as was planned.