KPC3392-3393: Korea - India Joint Issue

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 30 July 2019 KoreaPost released two stamps as a joint stamp issue with India. Because these stamps are a joint issue, the stamps have two designers: from Korea Shin Jae-yong (신재용), who is a prolific stamp designer, and from India Sankha Samantha, known for his Gandhi stamps.

KoreaPost released the stamps in a commemorative (souvenir) stamp sheet of 20 (4×5) stamps of 380 won each, printed by Southern Colour Print for POSA:

The details of the stamp as listed at the time of this publication:

한국-인도 공동우표
우표번호	3392
종수	2
발행량	820,000
디자인	허황후 표준영정과 수로왕비릉도
인쇄 및 색수	평판/4도
전지구성	–
디자이너	신재용, Sankha Samantha
발행일	2019. 7. 30.
액면가격	380원
우표크기	40mm × 28mm
인면	38.5mm × 26.5mm
천공	13 x 13¼
용지	평판원지
인쇄처	POSA(사우슨컬러프린트)

한국-인도 공동우표
우표번호	3393
종수	2
발행량	820,000
디자인	피사석탑과 허황후
인쇄 및 색수	평판/4도
전지구성	–
디자이너	신재용, Sankha Samantha
발행일	2019. 7. 30.
액면가격	380원
우표크기	40mm × 28mm
인면	38.5mm × 26.5mm
천공	13 x 13¼
용지	평판원지
인쇄처	POSA (사우슨컬러프린트)

The FDC cancellation:

This is how KoreaPost described the new issue:

Since 1973, when Korea and India first established diplomatic relations, these two countries have maintained strong ties in a number of areas including the economy, culture, and society. Therefore, Korea Post and India Post are pleased to be able to issue the commemorative postage stamps that feature the image of Heo Hwang-ok, a legendary queen who embodies the longstanding friendship between Korea and India.

According to The Record of the Garak Kingdom in Samguk Yusa , Queen Heo s last name is Heo, her first name is Hwang-ok, and her posthumous epithet is Bojutaehu. She was born Princess Suriratna in the Ayuta Kingdom. In A.D 48, she arrived on a boat to the kingdom of Gaya and married Kim Suro, the founder and king of Gaya, in order to obey the wishes of her parents who had been ordered in their dreams to send their daughter to King Suro.

King Suro and Queen Heo Hwang-ok had ten sons and two daughters, including the Crown Prince who later became the second king of Gaya and was called Geodeungwang. The Pasa Stone Pagoda, which Queen Heo supposedly brought on her journey in order to appease the god of the ocean, can be found next to Surowangbireung, or the Royal Tomb of King Suro s Wife, (Historical Site no. 74) in Gusan-dong, Gimhae-si in South Gyeongsang Province. The Pasa Stone Pagoda is a designated cultural heritage (No. 227) of South Gyeongsang Province.

The wishes of the Korea Post is that the joint issuance of the commemorative postage stamps will further strengthen the ties and friendship between Korea and India.

The new issue leaflet:

Two graphics created for the K-stamp blog:

All relevant text and images in page copyright: 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost

Update 22 January 2021: Steven Zwillinger sent us a scan of the Indian version of this joint issue:

3 thoughts on “KPC3392-3393: Korea – India Joint Issue”

That’s really wonderful information. Can anybody help me to procure these from Korea? I am interested to add them to my collection.

Thanks for maintaining this informative site! I wanted to know if the South Korea postal authority had any customized/personalized stamp service, and if so, how does one avail of that? I am a philatelist from India, planning to visit Seoul in early November, and wanted to understand more about this if it exists.

Also, I’ve seen in some countries that the service allows for a standalone stamp, while in others it is more of a label as a setenant with a regular stamp. How does it work in Korea?

Thanks