Author: Ivo Spanjersberg

Currently KSS Publisher/Webmaster, previously KSS Chairman (2018-2019). Living in Amsterdam. I collect Korean revenue stamps, see my website:

Korea Post 470-won Ordinary Postal Card: Corydalis grandicalyx

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Korea Post will issue a new 470-won ordinary postal card on 1 July 2026. The imprinted stamp design features 갈퀴현호색, identified on the card as Corydalis grandicalyx. The indicium, placed in the upper right corner, shows the blue flower against a pale green background and carries the inscription “KOREA” together with the denomination “470”.

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KPC3900-3901: Two new definitive stamps (500 won and 2900 won)

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(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 1 July 2026 KoreaPost issued two new definitive stamps showing Taegeukgi (the national flag of Korea) and a “Celadon Prunus Vase with Inlaid Plum, Bamboo, and Crane Design”. The stamps were issued in post office sheets. The stamps were printed by KOMSCO (한국조폐공사).

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KPC3877-3878: Foreign Figures Who Contributed to the Progress of Women’s Medical Care in Korea

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(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 7 April 2026 KoreaPost issued a stamp commemorating “Foreign Figures Who Contributed to the Progress of Women’s Medical Care in Korea”. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 16 (4×4) stamps of 430 won. The stamps were printed by Royal Joh. Enschedé for POSA.

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KPC3867-3876: Folding Screen with Four Gentlemen and Precious Plants in Gold

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(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 26 March 2026 KoreaPost issued a stamp showing “Folding Screen with Four Gentlemen and Precious Plants in Gold”. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 10 “Forever” stamps. The stamps were printed by Royal Joh. Enschedé for POSA.

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Q&A: When Leningrad Accidentally Became Wilmington (1989 Korean postal rates)

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The Korea Stamp Society (KSS) regularly answers questions from both members and non-members about Korean philately, and one recent inquiry turned out to be a particularly enjoyable puzzle. A collector wrote to us about an airmail cover sent from the Republic of Korea to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which somehow ended up first […]

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Recently Discovered 1980s North Korean Revenue Stamps

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A few series of North Korean revenue stamps from the 1940s and 1950s are known to collectors. These series have been described in various sources (including partially on the KSS website), but the main issue remains: almost nothing is known about them. What were these stamps used for? Were they affixed to documents or used […]

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KPC3857-3858: Traditional Korean Martial Art (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage)

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(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 28 November 2025 KoreaPost issued a stamp issue commemorating Traditional Korean Martial Art” as part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage series. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 10 stamps of 430 won. The stamps were printed by Brebner Print for POSA.

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Inspection and Taxation: The Dual Role of Korean Monopoly Revenue Stamps

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The South Korean revenue stamp under examination bears the distinctive inscription “전매청 허가업체,” which translates to “Office of Monopoly Licensed Company.” This reflects South Korea’s historical context, where certain industries were placed under governmental control, with specific licensed companies authorized to operate within these monopolies. Revenue stamps were thus essential in tracking and collecting taxes […]

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