Supporting Philatelists Since 1952
Philatelic history of Korea
As an example of a postal rate that is difficult to explain, this April 1950 cover should come as no surprise to collectors of North Korean postal history. What makes it special, is the rate, 20 won. This is the highest pre-Korean War franking that I have recorded in nearly 20 years of specialising in […]
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Up to now, this series has covered the various public notices issued prior to the establishment of the temporary postal agencies, along with the installation of such agencies in the various counties and revisions to the related early regulations. Beginning with this installment, I will introduce materials primarily from my own collection.
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Woo Jang-choon (우장춘) was a world-renowned plant breeder who worked in Japan. As an agronomist researching breeding science, a field that combined genetics and crop improvement, he conducted research from 1937 at the research farm of Takii Seed Company in Japan, where he worked on improving vegetable seeds such as cabbage, radish, and Chinese cabbage. […]
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In this article the story of the Chollima pictured on North Korea stamps continues through the years of 1980 through 1989. During this period of 1980 through 1989 there were twenty three North Korea stamps issued portraying the Chollima somewhere in the design.
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Before email became the preferred tool of direct marketers, one of the most common ways to solicit orders or gather commercial leads was by sending large quantities of business-to-business mail through the postal system. For postal operators this was a significant source of revenue, and advertising cards, circulars, reply cards and enquiry forms were a […]
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When the Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet stationed at Port Arthur (旅順港) on February 8, 1904, thereby igniting the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese government established the “Regulations on Military Mail” (Imperial Ordinance No. 19) and the “Military Mail Rules” (Ministry of Communications Official Notice No. 6). These measures allowed […]
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On May 1, 1957, a 30-hwan crane (鶴) postcard for foreign mail was issued, corresponding to the surface-mail postcard rate for overseas destinations. The design depicted one crane (鶴) and the double “hui” character, “喜” → “囍.” The printing colour was blue, and the paper was light yellow paper, 0.23–0.39 mm thick. It was printed […]
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The election for members of the National Assembly, held in South Korea (남한) alone on 10 May 1948, was the first election in Korean history to be conducted according to the principles of universal, equal, direct and secret suffrage.
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The Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation between Korea and the United States (United States–Chosun Treaty of 1882) was concluded in Jemulpo on May 22, 1882 (April 6 in the lunar calendar) between the plenipotentiaries Shin Heon (申櫶) and Kim Hong-jip (金弘集) of Korea and Robert Wilson Shufeldt (1822–1895), the plenipotentiary of the United […]
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The period during which the temporary post offices (임시우체사) remained in existence was a long one, amounting to about 7 years and 2 months. It began in April 1898 and lasted until the end of June 1905. However, very few extant covers have been discovered so far, and genuinely used postcards cannot be found at […]
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In this article the story of the Chollima pictured on North Korea continues through the years of 1973 through 1979. During this period of 1973 through 1979 there were eighteen North Korea stamps issued portraying the Chollima. After a record year in 1972 when North Korea issued twenty-five stamps that showed a Chollima somewhere in […]
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On September 20, 1875 (the 12th year of King Gojong, 21st day of the 8th lunar month), the Unyo incident (雲揚號, now usually written as Unyangho) occurred. Following this, Korea and Japan concluded the “unequal treaty” known as the Treaty of Ganghwa on February 27, 1876 (3rd day of the 2nd lunar month). The official […]
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The postal rate (郵遞料金) was increased from 1 jeon to 3 jeon, and with the issuance of the Plum Blossom stamps (Ihwa stamps), genuinely used examples bearing the Ihwa 3-jeon stamp became more common than earlier genuine usages of the Taegeuk stamps with surcharges or overprints.
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Japan, being geographically close, had long engaged in both exchanges and conflicts with Korea, including the Sampho Waeran (三浦倭亂, Japanese Disturbance of the Three Ports, 1510), the Eulmyo Waebyeon (乙卯倭變, Japanese Disturbance of 1555), the Imjin Waeran (壬辰倭亂, Japanese Invasion of 1592), and the Jeongyu Jaeran (丁酉再亂, Second Japanese Invasion of 1597). There were also […]
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The stamp issued on September 15, 1951, the “UN Forces Countries of Origin Commemorative Stamp”, has slightly different names depending on the catalog, but collectors simply call it the “Korean War Participating Nations Stamp.”
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This article, written by Kim Seong-cheol (김성철, 金成哲) of the Korea Collectors Club (한국수집가클럽), was published in the April 2024 issue of Woopyo Magazine. It examines the establishment, operation, and eventual closure of Japanese field post offices and the use of postal marks during the First Sino-Japanese War (청일전쟁, 淸日戰爭). Drawing on both Japanese military […]
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Even before the implementation of the postal system, letters were actively exchanged between individuals, groups, and institutions. In personal correspondence, people exchanged greetings, communicated about matters both large and small, and even conducted transactions of goods. For organizations and institutions, many of these letters would have involved the delivery of official documents. Such letters, depending […]
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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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The following text provides additional details to the article titled “Questions Surrounding the Manufacture of the Sheets Presented to the Participating Nations” which appeared in the November 2025 issue of the Woopyo (우표) magazine (and in translation on the KSS website). In truth, it is impossible to organize these complex Participation Sheets (참전 쉬트) in […]
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Starting from this issue of Woopyo (January 2026), I intend to publish a series focusing on special mail items and unique postal history covers (우편실체) following the liberation (광복) in 1945.
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