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Komsco
History of creation
KOMSCO (English. The Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corporation) is a state-owned corporation responsible for minting coins, as well as printing banknotes and other government documents. Its headquarters are currently located in Daejeon, South Korea, but KOMSCO's historical origins can be traced to Busan. It was there, in 1951, during the Korean War, in a shabby wooden building that the company began its operations - building a printing plant and setting up a paper mill.
The 1960s. is a period of dynamic growth for KOMSCO, which was possible primarily due to the renovation of the equipment used in production. A modern printing plant was then built at the Daejeon paper mill, allowing new banknotes to be printed, and a mint was built in Busan to mint coins of a new kind. In the 1970s. KOMSCO first issued banknotes printed on watermarked paper.
Subsequent years of development, improvement of production and adoption of new technologies have established KOMSCO's position on the international market and enabled the expansion of operations. In 2007, a factory was established to supply Korean NID cards and e-passports.
KOMSCO is currently focused on implementing the first blockchain platform in the public sector in South Korea to further prevent counterfeiting and respond to the needs of a changing world.
In the 1970s. KOMSCO first issued banknotes printed on watermarked paper.
Production volume
KOMSCO's production capabilities are impressive. The recently upgraded production facility is capable of producing up to 1.7 billion circulation coins a year. Of course, this is a volume far in excess of the needs reported by South Korea, but it is worth noting that KOMSCO has a strong track record of exporting its products - both coins and stamps.
Despite cooperation with many countries, KOMSCO's primary task is to print and mint South Korean currency. We are talking about printing banknotes with denominations of KRW 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000, as well as minting coins with denominations: 1, 5 , 10, 50, 100 and 500 KRW. The company is also responsible for printing checks, stamps and passports. Series of bullion coins are also produced - including m. in.: Komsco Tiger, Chiwoo Cheonwang, K Series and Zi:Sin.
Most popular products
KOMSCO is constantly improving its competitiveness and aims to be the best supplier of circulating and non-circulating coins, as well as collector products. Develops new production techniques and impresses with outstanding design. These words are confirmed by the numerous awards that coins minted by KOMSCO have won over the years. We are talking about both awards in the category of best design - "2002 FIFA World Cup Commemorative Coin" - and technological advancement of production - "Commemorative Coin for Hangeul Day (Korean Language Proclamation Day).".
Popular KOMSCO coins include m. in. a colorful collection dedicated to Korean national parks ("2017 Korean National Parks Commemorative Coins"), coins dedicated to Korean cultural heritage ("Korean Cultural Heritage Commemorative Coins"), a coin commemorating the Pyongyang Winter Olympics ("2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Commemorative Coin") or the Asian Games ("17th Incheon Asian Games Commemorative Coin").
Another interesting coin is the series issued over the years with the image of Chiwoo Cheonwang, a hero revered in both Chinese and Korean culture. Due to its already iconic nature, limited production and the image that changes every year, the coin is a tasty morsel not only for investors, but also for collectors.