SEOUL, July 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's fake banknotes posted a double-digit fall in the first half amid a widespread trend of cashless transactions, central bank data showed Wednesday.
The number of counterfeit banknotes, which were found by the Bank of Korea (BOK) or reported by individuals and financial institutions, was 41 in the January-June period, down 33.9 percent from 62 tallied a year earlier, according to the BOK.
The double-digit reduction was attributable to rising preference for non-cash payments in face-to-face transactions and improved public awareness to detect fake bills.
The face value of the counterfeit notes totaled 473,000 won (313 U.S. dollars) in the first half.
The number of 5,000-won fake bills was 22, while those for 10,000 won and 50,000 won reached 11 and 5 each.
The number of the Asian country's counterfeit notes per 100 million in circulation stood merely at 0.6, much lower than 4,229 in Britain, 1,461 in the eurozone, 1,411 in Canada and 8.6 in Japan. ■
