Korea Stamp Society

The Tatham Stamp and Coin Company and Dr. Halls TB/Christmas Seals

November 13, 2021August 26, 2021 Robert (Bob) Finder396Leave a Comment

A 2-sided sheet containing Dr. Sherwood Hall’s Korean Tuberculosis/Christmas and New Seals from 1932-1940 caught my eye on eBay recently; it was offered by a dealer in the UK. It was produced by the Tatham Stamp and Coin Company of Springfield, Massachusetts in the USA and it is a set of seals “on approval”. When […]

Stamp essay of 1884 5 mun stamp in Spink auction: do we know more about this item?

November 10, 2021October 4, 2022 KP Online Editor704Leave a Comment

In Spink’s auction of 12 January 2020 a rather strange item showed up. No, the type of item is not strange, stamp essays are quite commonly available. Actually, one might even say some essays are too common, just have a look at Willem van der Bijl’s article on the subject of North Korean “artworks” in […]

KPC3551-3553: Medicinal Plants

November 10, 2021April 21, 2023 KP Online Editor16Leave a Comment

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 10 November 2021 KoreaPost issued a stamp issue showing “Medicinal Plants”. The stamp was also issued in a minisheet of 2 x 6 stamps (12), at 430 won each. The stamps were printed by Cartor for POSA.

Readers Question: Envelope for monetary donations or condolence letters?

November 6, 2021November 9, 2021 Richard Arent5002 Comments

Here is an envelope that looks like Dr. Hall’s examples but has no space for addresses. I thought it could be intended for monetary donations or possibly for condolence letters placed inside comfort bags. Does anyone know for sure?

KSC5371-5374: Cultural Remains

November 5, 2021February 25, 2023 KP Online Editor29Leave a Comment

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 5 November 2021 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set showing “Cultural Remains”.

Missionary Correspondence in Colonial Korea: McCune – Hunt Letters

November 4, 2021October 11, 2021 James H. Grayson335Leave a Comment

The three envelopes described below are small but important pieces of information about three key Presbyterian missionary families in Korea – the McCunes, the Hunts, and the Blairs. All of these families were involved in education, and became embroiled in the politics of colonial Korea under the Japanese. In particular, they and other missionaries were […]

A tense peace or a relaxed war?

November 2, 2021October 11, 2021 Ivo Spanjersberg337Leave a Comment

Korea is a peninsula that lies in the sea from China and Siberia towards Japan. It has since 1945 effectively consisted of two parts, North and South. The history of this division has nothing to do with Korea itself, but the effect is that since 1948 there are two countries, the “DPRK” (North) and the […]

KSC5377-5379: Historic Policy Speech

October 30, 2021February 25, 2023 KP Online Editor35Leave a Comment

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 30 October 2021 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of two stamps and a souvenir sheet commemorating a “Historic Policy Speech”.

The one thing they agree upon: “Dokdo is ours”!

October 30, 2021October 3, 2021 Ivo Spanjersberg438Leave a Comment

Despite being mortal enemies, North and South Korea agree on thing: Dokdo, the group of rocks in the middle of the “Sea of Japan” or “East Sea” is Korean and not Japanese. The international name for Dokdo is officially “Liancourt Rocks”, a name often found on maps to avoid offending either Korea or Japan, but […]

KPC3548-3550: Definitive Postage Stamps

October 29, 2021April 21, 2023 KP Online Editor22Leave a Comment

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 10 November 2021 KoreaPost issued a set of new definitive postage stamps. The stamps were also issued in post office sheets. The stamps were printed by KOMSCO.

KPC3545-3547: Loyal Dogs of Korea

October 29, 2021April 21, 2023 KP Online Editor15Leave a Comment

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 29 October 2021 KoreaPost issued a stamp issue commemorating “Loyal Dogs of Korea”. The stamps were also issued in a minisheet of 3 x 5 stamps (15), at 430 won each. The stamps were printed by Cartor for POSA.

Korean postal affairs under American occupation (1946)

October 28, 2021October 11, 2021 Lt.Col. G.T. Gunston6192 Comments

Prior to occupation of southern Korea by American forces, the postage used was Japanese. Since the American occupation, and up to the present time, they have continued to use Japanese postage on hand. Importation of additional stamps from Japan was, of course, immediately stopped. No attempt was made to over the postage on hand in […]

KPC3541-3544: Philately Week

October 25, 2021April 21, 2023 KP Online Editor6Leave a Comment

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 25 October 2021 KoreaPost issued a stamp issue commemorating “Philately Week”. The stamps were also issued in a minisheet of 4 x 4 stamps (16), at 430 won each. The stamps were printed by Southern Colour Print for POSA.

April 1946 postwar usages of Postage Fee Paid forms with Japanese Showa and USAMGIK surcharges

October 23, 2021August 8, 2021 Florian Eichhorn508Leave a Comment

In 1919 the Japanese Posts introduced “Postage Fee Paid” forms. These forms were used to pay for various kinds of mail matter in bulk. The official Japanese postal term was 郵便料金受領証原符 = “Postage fee reception original form” and is imprinted on top. The actual mail items received a circular bisected handstamp in characters “(post office […]

Stamp collecting promotion posters from the 1980s and 1990s on NAK website

October 21, 2021October 9, 2021 KP Online Editor617Leave a Comment

The South Korean government has been promoting the digitization of archives for several decades now. This is great for stamp collectors, as highly detailed information on South Korean postal and revenue stamps has come to light thanks to the efforts of South Korean archives. If you can read/write (type) Korean, a lot of information can […]

Reader’s Question: How much to send an envelope from North Korea to the USA in 1978?

October 19, 2021October 19, 2021 KP Online Editor5451 Comment

Marci Jarvis, editor of Cat Mews (which is the magazine of the Cats on Stamps Study Unit) has a question with regards to the postage on this envelope. The Korean Stamp Corporation (KSC) sent it to the then editor of Topical Time, Jerry Husak, the founder of the American Topical Association. On it are a […]

Another Type of Korea Methodist Seal

October 16, 2021October 16, 2021 Robert (Bob) Finder563Leave a Comment

In an earlier article on 17 August 2019 posted on the Korea Stamp Society’s website, we wrote about the Methodist’s 50th anniversary in Korea. Dr. Sherwood Hall, the creator of Korea’s first Tuberculosis/Christmas and New Year’s seal in 1932 also designed this seal. A number of examples of these seals used on mailings from Korea […]

Examples of DPRK new issue leaflet from the 1990s: when times were different

October 14, 2021October 8, 2021 Ivo Spanjersberg382Leave a Comment

For several years (starting in 2018) the KSS has been listing new stamp issues from North Korea. With these new issues the stamp issuing entity of the DPRK, the Korea Stamp Corporation (KSC), always releases a new issue leaflet. This issue shows details of the stamps, while at the same time doubling as an order […]

Reader’s Question: Why these strange North Korean stamp issues?

October 12, 2021October 8, 2021 Evgeniy Savchenko6192 Comments

Leafing through the catalog of DPRK stamps and analyzing the policy of themes and stories on the stamps, I had several questions. Perhaps you, or other KSS members, can help me with the answer. Starting in 1946 to issue postage stamps with neutral themes (Rosa of Sharon, Diamond Mountains), the postal administration expanded the themes […]