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On December 9, 2022, two issues of “KBO League Legends 40” My Own Stamps were released, which are Korea’s first card-type My Own Stamps. According to Notice No. 2022-241 of November 21, 2022 by the Korea Post (우정사업본부), these stamps were not sold at post offices. Instead, advance reservations were carried out only through the […]

The KSS has published a new edition of the KSS magazine, Korean Philately, the second KP for 2026. This edition of KP is about Korean sericulture on stamps, the Dokdo Islands and a new 1940 Christmas seal cover. As a member you can download this edition of Korean Philately for free as a PDF. And […]

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 […]

This article, published in the June 2024 issue of Woopyo (우표) magazine, continues Kim Heon-sik’s (김헌식) insightful series exploring the field of modern Korean philately. In this installment, the author shifts focus from traditional postal history to living postal practices that connect people in contemporary society. By examining systems such as the Congratulatory and Condolence […]

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.

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 […]

This Dutch “Briefkaart” postal card bears a 5 cent Queen Juliana franking and a green marking reading “PORTVRIJ militairen op weg naar Korea”: “Postage free: servicemen on their way to Korea.” This concessionary marking is the principal postal-history feature of the item, identifying it as mail connected with Dutch military personnel travelling to Korea.

“With the upcoming 1988 Olympics, now is a good time to write a letter to someone special, and to make their day.”

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 […]

In 1996 the Korean National Tuberculosis Association (KNTA) and Christmas and New Year/TB seal program used the same design format as that of 1995. Two small sheets of the 1996 Christmas and New Year/TB seals were released, in a horizontal souvenir sheet format, picturing Korean Traditional Beauty Accessories. Since each of these two small sheets […]

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 4 May 2026 KoreaPost issued a stamp showing “Princess Catch! Teenieping”. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 10 stamps of 430 won. The stamps were printed by Royal Joh. Enschedé for POSA.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Moon Jae-in, born on January 24, 1953, in Geoje, South Korea, emerged as a prominent political figure, serving as the 12th president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. His journey from humble beginnings to the highest office in the land is a testament to resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment to democratic values.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 17 April 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps showing the  “Inauguration of 10 000 Flats Built at Fourth Stage in Hwasong Area”.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation)  On 17 April 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps commemorating the “Inauguration of Saeppyol Street”.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 15 April 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps showing the  “Inauguration of Samgwang Livestock Farm”.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 10 April 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps showing the  “Inauguration of Samgwang Livestock Farm”.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 10 April 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps showing the  “Inauguration of Sinuiju Combined Greenhouse Farm”.

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 […]

In 1995 the Korean National Tuberculosis Association (KNTA) seal program did a bit of innovation from recent previous years. Two small sheets of the 1995 Christmas and New Year/TB seals were released, in a vertical souvenir sheet format, picturing colourful scenes of a coral reef off Jeju Island with colourful coral, fish and even a […]

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 7 April 2026 KoreaPost issued a stamp commemorating “Foreign Figures Who Contributed to the Progress of Women’s Medical Care in Korea”. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 16 (4×4) stamps of 430 won. The stamps were printed by Royal Joh. Enschedé for POSA.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 3 |April 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps showing “Mt Paektu Geopark”.

One of the trade exhibitors that I had the good fortune to meet in Seoul, was Brebner Print of New Zealand. Represented at the show by General Manager Ricky Howes and Matt Tobin, Stamp Product Manager, Brebner is a privately-owned NZ business located in Napier. The company, established in 1978, entered into the stamp printing […]

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 27 March 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps showing the  “Commemoration of the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea”.

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 26 March 2026 KoreaPost issued a stamp showing “Folding Screen with Four Gentlemen and Precious Plants in Gold”. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 10 “Forever” stamps. The stamps were printed by Royal Joh. Enschedé for POSA.

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 […]

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.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 20 March 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps showing “Local Special Dishes”.

The Korea Stamps Society (KSS) is pleased to the present the eighteenth article of Stewart Steres’ Series “South Korea’s Commemorative Booklets/Albums”. This article is about the Korea Electric Power Business Centennial.

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 […]

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 12 March 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a set of stamps commemorating the “80th Anniv of Issue of the First Stamp in the DPRK”.

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 […]

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, […]

I lived in Osaka, Japan, for three years in the mid to late 1970s, spanning my middle- and high-school years. In truth, it was there that I learned most of what I know about stamp collecting. At the time, the economic gap between Korea and Japan was enormous, and the scale of the Japanese philatelic […]

In 1994 the Korean National Tuberculosis Association (KNTA) seal program released two small sheets in a souvenir sheet format, with ten different images on each of the two sheets. Each of these two sheets was printed with some seals having a silver background for a total of 20 different types of Korean birds.

(News from 조선우표사 / Korea Stamp Corporation) On 4 March 2026 the Korea Stamp Corporation issued a stamp commemorating the “Supreme Court of the DPRK”.

The KSS has published a new edition of the KSS magazine, Korean Philately, the first KP for 2026. This edition of KP is about Brebner, one of the main printers of Korean stamps, the Korean War meeting at the Royal Philatelic Society London, and the Danish Jutlandia stamp issue. As a member you can download […]

(News from 우정사업본부 / KoreaPost) On 27 February 2026 KoreaPost issued a stamp showing “baby animals”. The stamps were issued in a sheet of 16 (4×4) stamps. The stamps were printed by Brebner Print for POSA.