Supporting Philatelists Since 1952
The September 2026 issue of Woopyo, published on 1 September by the Korea Philatelic Federation (한국우취연합), has an unusually broad range. Its contents move from current Korean stamp issues and exhibition affairs to detailed studies of Korean postal history, the Munwi stamps, post-Liberation provisional overprints and postal stationery. Alongside these are articles on tourist datestamps, […]
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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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The August 2026 issue of Woopyo, issue no. 727, was published on 1 August by the Korea Philatelic Federation (한국우취연합). Its contents range from Korean Empire postal administration and the production history of the first Korean stamps to Korean War military mail, post-liberation overprints, international exhibition practice, postal stationery and thematic collecting. Research into Korean […]
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The boy who, in childhood, would hold a single stamp and gaze at it endlessly has, before he knew it, spent more than half a century with stamps, engraving many memories into his mind and arriving at the present day. Just as the phrase from a public-interest advertisement once seen on television said, “A book […]
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In general, POW mail was an arrangement operated under the supervision of the camp commander (POW administrator), serving as a humanitarian system that allowed prisoners to send and receive letters. Today, it is widely used in various thematic philatelic exhibits. The basic principles of POW mail were established in the annex of the Convention with […]
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The July 2026 issue of Woopyo is a particularly substantial number for readers interested in Korean postal history. While it contains the magazine’s usual mixture of new-issue information, society news, international philatelic notes, thematic material and auctions, its real strength lies in a group of serious Korean philatelic studies. These range from early international postal […]
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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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The June 2026 issue of Woopyo is a substantial and varied number, but its centre of gravity lies clearly in Korean postal history and the study of difficult transitional material. The issue opens with Ryu Sang-beom’s (류상범) opinion article, “Hoping for the Success of the 2026 Korea Stamp Exhibition” (2026 대한민국우표전시회의 성공을 바라며), a timely […]
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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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The May 2026 issue of *Woopyo* is a notably rich one for collectors who care less about flashy new issues alone and more about how stamps, postal systems, and postal artifacts fit into Korean history. It opens with Song Il-ho (송일호)’s opinion piece, “Hoping for Many Exhibits at the Korea Stamp Exhibition” (대한민국우표전시회에 많은 우취작품이 […]
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The customized postal card, first issued on July 1, 2003, by the announcement of the Korea Post (Notice No. 2003-44, dated June 25, 2003), was Korea’s first-ever customized postal card. A customized postal card is a service in which a customer’s desired photo, family crest, logo, or advertisement text is printed together with the sender’s […]
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Woopyo for April 2026 is a solid, content-rich issue that moves comfortably between current philatelic affairs, Korean postal history, foreign material, and a few lighter cultural sidelines. The table of contents alone shows how strongly the magazine continues to lean toward serious research, especially in postal history and classic material, while still making room for […]
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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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While reading the article “Korea’s Charity Surtax Stamps (1953–1977)” by Kim Heon-sik, director of the Korea Stamp Society, published in the December 2025 issue of Woopyo, I was able to resolve a question I had long held regarding a privately produced postcard from the Korean Empire period bearing a 10-jeon Plum Blossom definitive stamp that […]
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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 March 2026 issue of Woopyo (No. 722) opens with the editorial notice and moves directly into the opinion piece “A World That Changes in the Blink of an Eye” (눈 감았다 뜨면 변하는 세상) by Yeon Je-cheol (연제철). The author reflects on the accelerating pace of digital transformation and its consequences for organised philately, […]
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