Supporting Philatelists Since 1952
(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 31 October 2025 KoreaPost issued a stamp issue commemorating the “APEC 2025 Korea” summit. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 16 (4×4) stamps of 430 won. The stamps were printed by Royal Johan Enschedé for POSA.
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The November issue of Woopyo appears shortly after this year’s major international focal point, PHILAKOREA 2025, and clearly reflects the transition from an intense exhibition season into a period of reflection within Korean philately. For international readers, this issue offers not only an overview of recent exhibitions and organizational activities, but also a continued perspective […]
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On August 1, 1895, Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry Ordinance No. 5 announced the establishment of the Suwon Postal Office (水原郵遞司, Suwon Uchesa). The current location of the Suwon Postal Office is within Hwaseong Haenggung (華城行宮, a UNESCO World Heritage site), where it was set up within the Provincial Governor’s Office (觀察府, Gwanchalbu) to […]
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This article, published in the October 2025 issue of Woopyo Magazine, continues the long-running series on Korean Charity Surtax Stamps (1953–1977) by Kim Heon-sik (김헌식). In part 15, the author examines the 3rd Disaster Relief Donation Surtax Stamp of 1972, exploring its historical background, printing characteristics, and postal usages. As with previous installments in this […]
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This article was originally published in Korean in the September 2025 issue of Woopyo magazine. It presents a detailed study of the introduction and operation of temporary post offices (임시우체사) during the late Joseon period, focusing on the ordinances, administrative changes, and jurisdictional shifts that shaped Korea’s postal system at the turn of the 20th […]
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In the July 2025 issue of “Stamp,” a piece by Kim Seong-cheol (pen name: Byeolmu), a member of the Korea Collectors Club, titled “The History of Japanese Post Offices in Joseon and the Korean Empire,” offered an explanation for why no Wonilhyeong-type¹ (圓一型) Korea/Busan telegraph datestamp with a blank bottom has been discovered.
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Each issue of Woopyo magazine, the official monthly publication of Korea Post, includes a detailed listing of all commemorative and tourist postmarks as well as new postal issues announced for that period. The October 2025 edition continues this long-standing tradition by documenting the wide range of special cancellations and picture postcards issued in connection with […]
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This article, written by Yasushi Suzuki (鈴木康嗣 / 스즈키 야스시) and Eun Jong-ho (은종호) of the Korea Postal Card Society (한국우편엽서회), was originally published in Woopyo (우표) magazine (August 2024). It presents a richly detailed study of Korea’s first and most iconic aerogram, the Dabotap Aerogram (다보탑 항공서간), issued in 1956, tracing its development through […]
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South Korea’s national parks have long been valued for their breathtaking landscapes and ecological diversity. Spanning approximately 6.6% of the country’s total area, these parks predominantly encompass mountainous and coastal regions. Jirisan National Park, established in 1967, was the first national park designated and remains the largest mountain park in the country. Conversely, the smallest, […]
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Chairman’s Note: One of my fellow Aussies and Korea Stamp Society members, along with his wife, Paul and Irene Scholtens, were able to attend PhilaKorea 2025. I asked him to write-up his observations as visitor to the event, as I believe his comments would be of interest to all KSS members. The article that follows […]
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The following interview first appeared in the October 2025 issue of Woopyo Magazine. Though not centered on Korean philately, it offers a rare and illuminating perspective on philately in East Asia through the experiences of a distinguished Japanese woman philatelist. In sharing her path to international recognition, this article broadens our understanding of the cultural […]
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The double-ring datestamp (Ijung-wonhyeong ilbu-in, 이중원형 일부인) is found in very small quantities, appearing as a cancellation mark applied at a few post offices. It seems that most examples currently in foreign collections (sojangpum, 所藏品) have made their way back to Korea. Disappointingly, some of these appear to have been created deliberately for philatelic purposes. […]
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(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 17 October 2025 KoreaPost issued a stamp issue commemorating “30th Anniversary of Local Autonomy”. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 15 (3×5) stamps of 430 won. The stamps were printed by Brebner Print for POSA.
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Busan is South Korea’s second-largest city and its number one trading port. It is composed of 1 metropolitan city and 15 districts. Tourist postmark designs used in Busan include: Yongdusan Park, Taejongdae, Yeongdo Bridge, Gwangandaegyo (Gwangan Bridge), Busandaegyo (Busan Bridge), Nakdongdaegyo (Nakdong River Bridge), Oryukdo, Dongnae Yaryu (masked dance), Dongnae Hot Springs and open-air foot […]
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This article is part of the ongoing Postal Studies of Korea (우정탐구) series written by Baegun Nam Sang-uk (白雲 남상욱), President of the Korean Philatelic Society (대한우표회). The series, published in Woopyo magazine, explores little-known aspects of Korea’s early postal history through original documentary research. The present installment (Part 1) examines the origins and operation […]
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This article, originally published in the September 2025 issue of Woopyo, the official journal of the Korean Philatelic Federation (KPF), explores little-known aspects of Korea’s foreign postal rates via the Siberian Railway. It was translated from Korean for publication on the Korea Stamp Society (KSS) website to make this important research accessible to an international […]
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On 11 November 2025, the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) will host Korea – The Unforgotten War, a one-day celebration dedicated to the history and philately of the Korean peninsula from Liberation in 1945 to the Armistice in 1953. Organised in association with the Korea Stamp Society (KSS), this special event coincides with the 75th […]
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(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 10 October 2025 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps commemorating the “80th Anniv of Founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea”.
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On November 11, 2022, following an announcement from Korea Post (No. 2022-206, issued September 16, 2022), two new high-value definitive stamps were issued: a 1,000 won stamp featuring a Daegeum design and a 2,530 won stamp with a Cheonmachong Gwanmo design. These are South Korea’s first security-printed stamps. Printed by the Korea Minting and Security […]
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The second set of stamps depicting a folktale (SG 828 – 831) was issued on 1 November, 1969 and narrates a ‘quintessentially’ Korean folktale, the Tale of the Rabbit’s Liver. Although the tales of Hŭngbu and Nŏlbu and K’ongjwi and P’atjwi teach that good behaviour is rewarded in the end, and evil or unkind behaviour […]
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