For a project about KSS members from the past I am currently looking for information about Lee Chang Sung. He was chairman of the Busan Philatelic Club for years, but was known outside of Korea for his many paquebot covers. He was first mentioned in Korean Philately in 1956(!), in the KP Vol. V No. 1 (April 1956) issue.
This is what this mention in the 1956 KP looked like:
Some examples of paquebot mail he generated are below. Both examples are addressed to himself, but he created hundreds of paquebot covers for people all over the world while working on ships such as the Spring Condor, the Jovian Lotus and the Gibraltar Pansy.
Mr. Lee was a very active collector, who had many Korean and international contacts. Here is an early example of a letter from Lee Hun Tak (could be family, but the Lee name is very common in Korea) to Mr. Lee, sent from India in 1959:
I would like to write an article about Lee Chang Sung, sort of a biography, for the KSS website. However, I do not have much information about him. If you have information about Lee Chang Sung please contact me in the comments.
According to the information provided, Mr. Lee was a lieutenant in Korean navy in 1956, when should be 20+ years old then, so his birth years should be around 1930s+. The last cover shows Mr. Lee was working in Korea Maritime and Ocean University in 1959. And from the other covers, he should still be alive and lived in Busan in 1988.
You can look for more information from Korea Maritime and Ocean University.
Interestingly, his date of birth is mentioned in the KP article from 1956: “He is 30 years old, born in Japan August 6th 1926, is married and has 2 children, a boy and a girl.” I think the last reference I found about him being active is from just after 2000.
The article also states he graduated before the Korean War as a (maritime) engineer, which is distinctly different from a (ship’s) mate. I guess it was the war which pushed him into the (South) Korean navy.
Sorry I didn’t read the 1956 KP article completely and didn’t notice that his age and some family backgrounds were already revealed.
He must have died 2015 or earlier as vast lots of covers addressed to him with new issues from Japan issued until early 2k were/are offered by korean dealers or korean ebay sellers, also those paquebot-covers and -lists.
Is there still interest in Mr. Lee Chang Sung. I recently came across a letter from Mr. Sung to my grandfather expressing an interest in exchanging stamps. I also have a cove sent to my grandfather from Mr. Sung.