Yong Yi, Author at Korea Stamp Society

North Korea Stamp Color Variation

March 6, 2019March 14, 2019 Yong Yi25716 Comments

Stamps with different colors were used to indicate different denominations until multicolored stamps appeared along with the development of color printing techniques. The majority of modern stamps are still of a single color design. In the early days of printing stamps, inks were made up in batches as needed and the colors were inconsistent. In […]

Domestic Printing Versus International Printing Of DPRK Stamps (III)

November 7, 2018September 27, 2018 Yong Yi275Leave a Comment

Previously I have written an article on North Korea’s “Remarkable Tourist Market Sheet” stamps. KSS member Mr. Chen Yi-Fu stated that the article referred to so-called “stamps for domestic use”. In the Korean Stamp Catalogue, the 2 stamps are No. 3758 & 3760, issued in 8×3 small sheets for international collectors. He also mentioned that […]

How I became a novice DPRK stamp collector

October 6, 2018August 30, 2018 Yong Yi3751 Comment

From 2000 to 2006 I visited North Korea 15 times, each time during 4 weeks. During those 4 weeks, I spent weekends and rainy days in the hotel (Mt. Myohyang or Chong Chon Hotel). Also, on my departure from the country, I spent 3 to 4 days in the capital Pyongyang (Yang Gak Do Hotel) […]

How tourism created DPRK sheet size variations

September 16, 2018August 21, 2018 Yong Yi2651 Comment

The design of the 2004 Lunar New Year stamp (Scott A1942, KSC4321) is adorable. A young boy and girl playing in Korean traditional clothing (Hanbok, or 한복) on Lunar New Year’s Day (Seollal or 설날), both relating to Korean culture. The design shows the political and economic changes in North Korea at the time (due […]

1959 “Peaceful Reunification of Korea” stamps: real, fake, or a reprint?

September 11, 2018January 27, 2019 Yong Yi4556 Comments

A question from one of our KSS members: are these stamps real, fake, or a reprint? The stamps in this partial sheet were part of a batch of 1961 and earlier North Korean stamps. These 10 stamps (2×5) are from a sheet of 70 jeon 1959 “Peaceful Reunification of Korea” stamps (Scott 175a / A141; […]

The remarkable DPRK “tourist market” sheets

August 17, 2018August 17, 2018 Yong Yi3092 Comments

Mt. Myohyang Hotel, summer of 2003. I was doing my morning walk around the hotel lobby and saw the telephone booth lady putting out a display tray of stamps in the display cabinet. After she had finished displaying, she started to cut sheet stamps to individual stamps to replenish the display trays. This is when […]

My Stamp Purchasing Experiences in North Korea

June 11, 2018January 28, 2019 Yong Yi382Leave a Comment

(Originally from KP May 2012, Vol. 54, No. 2) I had visited North Korea 15 times from 2000 to 2006 with a duration of 4 weeks each. Each time I visited, I bought many souvenirs back to the US for friends and family. Souvenirs included silver coins, books, magazines, DPRK currency, and stamps.

Robert Finder commented on 2018 Christmas Seals (stamps and related products): Hi Ivo, as you know I do not collect the Korean Ch
Ivo Spanjersberg commented on North Korea Stamp Color Variation: On Kobay seller goodchoice is now selling this DPR
Florian Eichhorn commented on Reader’s Question: What does Japanese era card say?: The postmark is a LCD (large commemorative date st
Ivo Spanjersberg commented on Reader’s Question: What does Japanese era card say?: Great translation! To add one thing: the ,0000 in
Chen Yi-Fu commented on Reader’s Question: What does Japanese era card say?: This picture postcard shows the comparison of deve