(Originally from KP May 2012, Vol. 54, No. 2) The tragic destruction of Seoul’s South Gate prompted me to look for Korean stamps featuring the Gate (Figure 9). The first I could find is Scott #104 from the 3rd Won Series, issued in 1948-49. It features a handdrawn image of the Gate on a 50-won stamp lithographed in violet blue. There are also surcharged varieties.
The 2nd stamp is the 10-hwan green im-age of the Gate, Scott #252 and #271. I am un-aware of any further definitive stamps featuring the Gate. The first commemorative using an image of the Gate is KPC #326, Scott #310, part of a two-stamp issue commemorating the 1960 Olympics.
Over the years, the South Gate has appeared in numerous commemoratives, though none specifically dedicated to the South Gate. For example, Scott #479, marking the 15th Anniversary of the Liberation of Seoul, shows the South Gate with stylized fireworks above it. Some of the other stylized depictions of the Gate include Scott #1513, the ’88 Olympics; Scott #1681, UPU; and Scott #1916, Dental Congress. See some of these stamps illustrated below.
This symbol of Korea is widely known around the world. It would be fitting to see a new stamp commemorating the Gate’s reconstruction.
The above photos were published in B/W in the Korean Philately, here an example of one of those stamps showing the South Gate (동대문) in colour:
