Seoul 2019: 1 won coin

When traveling overseas I normally pay for almost everything by cash, which means I inevitably have to deal with coins. In places like Japan and much of Europe it’s not a big problem but in Korea there can be some annoyances because the Korean won is one of those currencies that would benefit from the decimal point being moved over at least one slot. While I was in Seoul I somehow managed to make a purchase that ended up with me getting a 1 won coin as part of my change. At current exchange rates 1 won is equal to USD $0.00086, (this is almost the exact same exchange rate as when I was in Korea last year) making this coin probably the least valuable piece of currency I’ve ever held. Making a transaction that would allow me to get rid of this 1 won coin proved much harder than anticipated and I’d end up with it remaining in my wallet when I left Korea to return to Japan.

Today I’ve still got that coin in my small collection of foreign currencies that I keep in a bag in my room. If I’m ever able to return to Korea I’m honestly not sure if I’ll take that coin with me or not. The highly efficient side of me doesn’t like the idea of wasting money, no matter how small the amount, but as time has gone by that coin has developed a strange sentimental value to me.