How to determine the cost of sending a telegram in a society with two different character sets?

A problem which is very uncommon in most parts of the world is the Korean question of what to do with the fact that Koreans could use either (Korean) hangul or (Chinese) hanja characters when sending a telegram? While they can convey exactly the same message in Korean, the two writing systems are completely different […]

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What do we know about these North Korean revenue stamps?

A KSS member asks about North Korean revenue stamps: what do we know about these? “A small number of stamps, many duplicates. I do not specifically collect such stamps, but sometimes buy them. Are these stamps all North Korean? I read that there is a catalog of Korean (or North Korean) revenue stamps, but I […]

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Some anniversaries are advertised wider than other anniversaries

October 2021 marked 70 years of the Korea Stamp Society! Really, it did. But did you know about it? Probably not, if only for the simple reason that until then nobody had advertised this fact. (We did in Korean Philately, have a look at the Q4 2021 edition!) Here are two other anniversaries related to […]

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Reusing a 1946 postal card to create a 1950 postal ID

During the Korean War (1950-1953) and for at least a decade after the war South Korea (ROK) was counted amongst the poorest nations in the world. As late as the early 1960s the average Ethiopian or Ugandan was richer than the average South Korean. And yes, even the average North Korean was (probably) richer than […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

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When the war drums stop, so does the KSC

The Korea Stamp Corporation, the stamp issuing organization of the DPRK (North Korea), generally creates stamp along several lines of themes. One of those common themes is something along the lines of “the eternal fight for the motherland against our enemies”. The thing is: the official feelings towards these enemies, whomever they may be (usually […]

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Reader’s question: Why are local 1930s revenue stamps never offered “used on document”?

Since first seeing a South Korean revenue stamp in 2010 (when I needed one for a visa document while already in Korea) I have been collecting information about Korean revenue stamps. What is noticeable in my database of 6000+ notes on Korean revenue stamps that some stamps are very easy to collect “used on document” […]

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KSC5338-5339: 60th Anniv. of Pukchong Enlarged Meeting of the Presidium of the WPK Central Committee

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 7 April 2021 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of a stamp and a souvenir sheet commemorating the “60th Anniv. of Pukchong Enlarged Meeting of the Presidium of the WPK Central Committee”. The text the KSC released for this issue states: “Pukchong Enlarged Meeting of the […]

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KPC3492-3501: Folding Screen with Birds, Flowers and Animals

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 4 April 2021 KoreaPost issued a set of stamps showing parts of a large classical Korean folding screen, with the individual images of the screen used for the designs of individual stamps. The whole series was also issued in a souvenir sheet, which shows the whole screen.

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KPC3489-3491: Korean Aircrafts (3rd series)

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 25 March 2021 KoreaPost issued a set of three stamps showing aircraft produced in Korea. Last year’s series showed helicopters produced by Korea Aerospace Industries, this year shows a combination of types of aircraft: the T-50B jet, the KUH-1 helicopter and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-101. Interestingly, the […]

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KPC3485-3488: The Historic Architecture in Korea – Neo-Confucian Academies (Special Edition)

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 11 March 2021 KoreaPost issued a set of stamps showing historical Korean buildings. Last year the series showed historical architecture in general, this year the series shows Neo-Confucian academies. These used to be important centers of learning in Korea. The academies on the stamps are located in Andong (안동), […]

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KPC3481-3484: The Historic Architecture in Korea – Neo-Confucian Academies

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 11 March 2021 KoreaPost issued a set of stamps showing historical Korean buildings. Last year the series showed historical architecture in general, this year the series shows Neo-Confucian academies. These used to be important centers of learning in Korea. The academies on the stamps are located in Andong (안동), […]

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