KPC3462-3463: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (Ssireum)

New Releases ROK

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 8 October 2020 KoreaPost issued a series of stamps commemorating the Korean sport of Ssireum (씨름), a form of wrestling. “Ssireum is a traditional folk game and sport of Korea in which two people, each grabbing the satba (belt made of long cotton cloth) wrapped around the other contestant’s thigh and waist, contend for victory by forcing the opponent to the ground with his strength and skill.” The sport has the status of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

KoreaPost released the stamps in a souvenir stamp sheet containing 10 stamps (2 + 4 combinations of 2 individual stamps) of 380 won each, printed by Southern Colour Print for POSA:

Sheet KPC3462-3463

Stamps

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

유네스코 인류무형문화유산(씨름)

우표번호3462
종수2
발행량410,000장
디자인뒤집기
인쇄 및 색수평판 / 4도
전지구성(2 × 4) + 2
디자이너박은경
발행일2020. 10. 8.
액면가격380원
우표크기52 × 24
인면52 × 24
천공14.6×14.55
용지평판원지
인쇄처POSA(SouthernColourPrint)

 

유네스코 인류무형문화유산(씨름)

우표번호3463
종수2
발행량410,000장
디자인배지기
인쇄 및 색수평판 / 4도
전지구성(2 × 4) + 2
디자이너박은경
발행일2020. 10. 8.
액면가격380원
우표크기52 × 36
인면52 × 36
천공14.6×14.55
용지평판원지
인쇄처POSA(SouthernColourPrint)

FDC

POSA released an image of the FDC for this series:

FDC for KPC3462-3463

New issue leaflet

KoreaPost released this new issue leaflet for the stamp issue:

New Issue Leaflet for KPC3462-3463

KoreaPost also released this text for the series:

Ssireum is a traditional folk game and sport of Korea in which two people, each grabbing the satba (belt made of long cotton cloth) wrapped around the other contestant’s thigh and waist, contend for victory by forcing the opponent to the ground with his strength and skill. Korean ancestors have created communities wherein people unite and harmonize through ssireum. South and North Korea decided to jointly agreed to inscribe `ssireum` (also spelled `ssirum`) on the Representative List of the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for the first time in the 13th Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Port Louis, Mauritius on November 26, 2018. Korea Post is issuing the commemorative stamp Ssireum to commemorate this achievement.

Traces of ssireum can be discovered in many historical relics from Goguryeo murals to Joseon genre paintings. Academics postulate that ssireum occurred naturally as an equal form of exercise and a folk game that everyone could enjoy regardless of status after people began to live by forming societies. Gakjeochong tombs from Goguryeo built in the mid-fifth century shows two people competing for power in a round of ssireum. This shows that ssireum was already prevalent in the Three Kingdoms period. It is recorded in Goryeosa, where ssireum first appeared, that `the king left the country`s important matters to disloyal subjects Baejeon and Juju, and enjoyed ssireum with Naesu day after day` in the year of King Chunghye`s accession (1330). It`s possible to look for records about ssireum in Joseon Wangjo Sillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), Seungjeongwon Ilgi (Diary of the Royal Secretariat) and Seokbosangjeol (biography of Gautama Siddhartha) along with Admiral Yi Sun-sin`s Nanjung Ilgi (War Diary) during the Joseon period. Ssireum also became more popularized as the sport was presented as Dano`s premier custom in such seasonal custom books of the late Joseon period as Gyeongdojapji (Customs of the Capital) and Dongguksesiki (A Record of Seasonal Customs in Korea). The Joseon Ssireum Association was inaugurated on November 27, 1927 despite Japan`s suppression, and after liberation, ssireum was adopted as a regular event of the Korean National Sports Festival by the Korea Ssireum Association as an affiliated organization of the Korean Olympic Committee. Today ssireum remains in existence, revolving around the Korea Ssireum Association.

South and North Korea presented their respective applications for ssireum`s cultural heritage inscription in March 2016 and March 2015; the inter-Korean joint inscription was discussed for the first time during the Korean-French summit in October 2018, and then a full-blown push for the joint inscription began as a UNESCO envoy was sent to Pyongyang. UNESCO explained the reason of the joint inscription by stating: “Despite some differences in modern ssireum terminology and competition methods, South and North Korean ssireum has socio-cultural commonalities, and we decided on the joint inscription for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. With this could South and North Korea jointly inscribe ssireum on the list of UNESCO`s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the official title of `Traditional Korean wrestling (Ssirum / Ssireum).”

The commemorative stamps consist of big stamps featuring dynamic belly throw skills against the backdrop of painter Danwon Kim Hong-do`s “Ssireum”, and small stamps depicting thrilling flip techniques. We hope these newly issued stamps will allow you to ruminate over the meaning of the folk game of ssireum that excites and invigorates both players and audiences alike.

FDC

The FDC cancellation:

KoreaPost also used this theme in the October “wallpaper”:

Standing version
Horizontal version of graphic.

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

Tagged
Ivo Spanjersberg
Currently KSS Publisher/Webmaster, previously KSS Chairman (2018-2019). Living in Amsterdam. I collect Korean revenue stamps, see my website:
http://www.spanjersberg.net

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