The year in stamps: 1949 “Shooting across the border”

As South Korea entered 1949, the country was still grappling with the aftermath of World War II and the ongoing tensions between North and South Korea. While political and military developments dominated the headlines, the daily lives of ordinary citizens also continued to be shaped by the challenges of the time.

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The year in stamps: 1948 “The fighting starts”

The year 1948 was a tumultuous time in South Korea, marked by political turmoil, economic struggles, and social unrest. Despite these challenges, the country was poised for change, as it worked to establish a stable government and lay the foundation for a prosperous future. One of the key political developments of 1948 was the establishment […]

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The year in stamps: 1947 “Edging towards war”

In the year 1947, the relationship between North and South Korea was fraught with tension and uncertainty. The two countries had been divided since the end of World War II, and efforts to reunify the peninsula had been met with resistance and hostility from both sides. At the same time South Korea was a nation […]

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Continuation of the Article on the South Korea Early Postcards of 1946 through 1953

An article on the basic introduction of the use of Japanese postcards through 1946 by South Korea, ended with the issuance of the South Korea’s first own design of a postcard with the unissued 1946 “Liberation” postcard , Korean Postage Stamp Catalogue (KPSC) UPC1; and with that postcard’s first surcharge of May 1, 1947, KPSC […]

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A Basic Introduction to the post-WWII Liberation use of Japanese Postcards in South Korea, 1946-47

Most collectors of South Korean stamps are familiar with the 1946 set of Japanese stamps overprinted for use in US-occupied South Korea and revalued in Korean currency, i.e. cheon. These are listed in the Korean Postage Stamp Catalogue (KPSC) as numbers R1-R6 and in Scott as numbers 55-60. They were issued some months after the […]

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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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The Imperfs, Double Printings and Two-Sided Printings of Korea 1946-1953 Stamps

From the first printed stamps in South Korea in 1946 after the WWII, up to around 1953, many of those issues can be found printed as imperforated stamps, double printed stamps and stamps printed on both sides. The stamps were issued by the US Military from 1946-1948. On August 15, 1948, the South Korean government […]

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April 1946 postwar usages of Postage Fee Paid forms with Japanese Showa and USAMGIK surcharges

In 1919 the Japanese introduced “Postage Fee Paid” forms. These forms were used to pay for various kinds of mail matter in bulk. The official Japanese postal term was 郵便料金受領証原符 = Postage fee reception original form and is imprinted on top. The actual mail items received a circular bisected handstamp in characters “(post office name)/postage […]

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South Korea’s 1966 Unusual S/S for the 6th Postal Week — Revisited

Back in 2018 a short article was published that described South Korea’s unusual souvenir sheet (S/S) that was issued in 1966 for commemorating the 6th Postal Week. What is unusual about this S/S is that it was only issued with a red overprint. There was not a single stamp issued to accompany it. The S/S […]

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The 1950 postal stationery inflationary surcharge on stamps?

Occasionally South Korean stamps show up on popular (stamp) auction websites with a 10 won overprint on them. But are these overprints real? According to John Sauer in his Monograph 1, Specialized Postal Stationery Catalog of the Republic of Korea, page 7, postal card KPC #PC15 was created with a 10 won surcharge on the […]

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Post cards commemorating the ROK 1955 Expo

Two post cards, part of a set commemorating the ROK 1955 Expo. These two post cards were made by the Huimangsa 希望社 · 製 for the industrial exhibition commemorating the tenth anniversary of liberation 解放十週年產業博覽會記念. This refers to August 15, 1945, commemorated in both the ROK and DPRK as the date Korea was liberated from […]

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Korean postal affairs under American occupation (1946)

Prior to occupation of southern Korea by American forces, the postage used was Japanese. Since the American occupation, and up to the present time, they have continued to use Japanese postage on hand. Importation of additional stamps from Japan was, of course, immediately stopped. No attempt was made to over the postage on hand in […]

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