Bank of Korea opens coin exhibition on Korean World Heritage

The Bank of Korea said Monday it will open a currency exhibition of commemorative coins honoring Korea's World Heritage sites, staged jointly with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO at the bank's currency museum.

The exhibition, titled "World Heritage Engraved on Commemorative Coins — History, Culture and Nature in Coins," opens to the public Tuesday and runs through Oct. 31, 2027, in the second-floor special exhibition hall of the Bank of Korea Museum. An opening ceremony was held at 2 p.m. Monday at the museum.

The show marks the year the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was held in Korea for the first time, in Busan. Coins issued on the theme of World Heritage will be displayed alongside related records, including physical objects, video, photographs and documents.

The exhibition is organized into an introductory video room, the main display and an epilogue experience zone. In the main display, the coins are grouped under three themes — history, culture and nature — each set presented with commentary panels, photo and video content and display objects. Visitors can also handle models of World Heritage sites, hunt for hidden heritage in coins using cellophane paper, and magnify coin images on touchscreens.

"We prepared the exhibition so that World Heritage on commemorative coins could be appreciated in a rich and three-dimensional way, dividing them into the three branches of history, culture and nature and displaying them together with related records," said Kwon Min-soo, deputy governor of the Bank of Korea. "We will continue to reach the public in many regions through cooperation with various institutions."

"The World Heritage engraved on commemorative coins is a record and a message showing what we must remember and protect," said Hong Hyun-ik, secretary-general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. "This exhibition is a meaningful opportunity to encounter World Heritage in a more familiar way and to think together about its value."

"I hope the World Heritage depicted on commemorative coins will give the public an occasion to take pride in our heritage, and I hope this exhibition becomes a meaningful place to share a commitment to protecting precious heritage together," said Choi Bo-keun, deputy commissioner of the Korea Heritage Service.

The Bank of Korea said it plans to keep offering high-level exhibitions with expertise through cooperation with related institutions, and to reach more of the public through touring exhibitions in various regions.