Kim Bong-han stamp issued in 1964

Postage stamps are issued by the Korea Stamp Corporation.[1] North Korea issues copious amounts of stamps.[2] Since the 1970s, the country has outproduced South Korea in terms of issuance.[3] The stamps tend to portray patriotic and nationalist themes and are used as a form of propaganda,[4] but some of them have little connection with the country.[2] The country has been a member of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie since 15 June 1965. There is a museum, the Korea Stamp Museum, dedicated to philately in the country.[1]

History

Korea Stamp shop in Pyongyang

The first stamps of North Korea were issued on 12 March 1946:[5] Rose of Sharon and Samson Rock.[1] Stamps prior to 1974 dealt primarily with subjects relating specifically to North Korea, its foundation, Kim Il Sung and other patriotic themes. After 1974, in a bid to bring more hard currency into the country, North Korea began issuing stamps with wide-ranging themes (such as Joan of Arc, airships, sports and wildlife) and using English descriptions.[6]

Wording on the stamps is mostly in Korean. The term "DPR Korea" is written in English.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Choe Kwang Ho (2016). "Stamps Showcase 70 Years of the DPRK" (PDF). Pictorial KOREA. No. 3. pp. 32–33.
  2. ^ a b "Nykänen pohjoiskorealaisessa postimerkissä". MTV uutiset (in Finnish). 18 September 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  3. ^ King 2011, p. 193.
  4. ^ King 2011, p. 205.
  5. ^ Korea. Sandafayre Stamp Atlas. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Stamps of North Korea". "Michael Rogers Inc". Retrieved 2 February 2013.

Works cited

Further reading

External links

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