#528 South Korea 11/02/22

Thank you, Ahn Jung Min, for sending this nice FDC from South Korea! It was posted in SL. Gangnam on February 22 and arrived on March 3, 2011.

The stamps are part of a set, which commemorates the Korean cartoon series “Pororo the Little Penguin“.

#439 South Korea 10/09/14

Ahn Jung Min sent me this nice FDC from South Korea, thank you!

It was issued on September 14 and arrived on September 20, 2010.

For more info see article #400.

#421 South Korea 10/05/12

Seung Young Oh sent me this beautiful FDC from Seoul, South Korea, thank you very much! It was issued and posted on May 12 and arrived on May 17, 2010.

The mini-sheet is the fourth part of the series “Rivers of Korea”. The stamps depict the Han River, the Nakdong River, the Seomjin River, and the Geum River.

#400 South Korea 10/09/14

Thank you very much, Seung Young Oh, for sending me this marvelous FDC from South Korea! The FDC was issued and sent on September 14, and arrived on September 21, 2010.

It is the third set of the Goguryeo Jumong stamps.  The four stamps depict “King Geumwa meeting with Yuhwa” the “Birth of Jumong“, the “Escape of Jumong”, and the “Establishment of Goguryeo“.

More info can be found here.

#358 South Korea 10/02/18

Thank you, Ahn Jung Min, for this beautiful FDC from the Gangnam-gu in Seoul.

The cover was issued and posted on February 18 and arrived on February 25, 2010. It commemorates the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

#333 South Korea 10/03/26

Thank you, Ahn Jung Min, for sending this nice first day cover from Kangnam, South Korea! The cover was posted on March 26 and arrived on April 2, 2010.

The stamps and first day cancellation commemorate the centennial of the death of the Korean independence activist and nationalist Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910).

#325 South Korea 10/05/06

Again another wonderful FDC from South Korea1 Thank you, Seung Young Oh!

The FDC and stamps were issued on May 6, 2010. It commemorates “Korea’s Skating Victories at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games“, namely:

Kim Yu Na, who with impeccably perfect form rose to the position of the undisputed queen of world figure skating. Mo Tae Bum, Lee Seung Hoon, and Lee Sang Hwa who emerged as new hopes in speed skating. Lee Jung Su, Sung Si Bak, Lee Ho Suk, Kwak Yoon Gy, Kim Seoung Il, Lee Eun Byul, and Park Seung Hi who carried on Korea’s rightful reputation as the global power in short-track. (text of FDC info sheet)

#272 South Korea 09/09/03

Shinchul sent me this nice airmail cover from Seoul. It was posted on September 3, 2009.

The left stamp was issued in 1997. The middle stamp is of the Korea/Mongolia/Kazakhstan joint issue set (issued June 13, 2009). I already wrote about this issue in this article. The right stamp was issued on May 27,  2005. It commemorates the 57th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (Ulsan 2005) and depicts the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus).

#167 South Korea 09/06/13

Seung Young Oh sent me this beautiful FDC from South Korea. The mini sheetlet is a Korea/Mongolia/Kazakhstan joint issue, which depicts earrings of each country. It was issued on June 13, 2009.

The Korean earring […] is an earring made in the 5th-6th centuries for the royal family of the Silla dynasty. It was excavated from a Bubuchong (a couple tomb), in Bomun-ri, Gyeongju city. Boasting sophisticated esthetics and excellent metal craft, this earring is considered the most superb and elaborate example of the Silla period earrings. […]
The Mongolian earring […] was used by noblemen in the 18th-19th centuries. Its 20.0 cm long form hangs down vertically. It is adorned with not only gold and silver but turquoise and coral as well, […].
The Kazakhstan earring […] was used by noblemen from the 2nd century BC to 1st century AD. It features a wild boar attacking humans, and is made of gold, turquoise, and carnelian. […]
The setting of each stamp is in the pattern of Korea’s gold crown of the 5th-6th centuries, Mongolia’s traditional pattern of the 19th century, and the pattern of a Kazakhstan female apparel of the 18th century. These patterns inserted into the setting of the stamp present a sense of harmony with the earrings.
(info sheet text of the FDC)

On the back of the cover one definitive depicting the bird Parus major was attached and cancelled with the postmark of Seoul-Eunpyeong.

Thank you very much for this marvelous FDC!

#158 South Korea 09/02/10

Thank you, Ahn Jung Min, for this beautiful FDC from South Korea!

It was issued on February 10, 2009, and posted on the same date in Seoul. The four se-tenant stamps are the 3rd part of the “Rivers of Korea” series.

South Korea 08/11/06

Registered first day cover from South Korea, posted in Yeouido on November 6, 2008.

This marvelous FDC has attached the mini-sheet of the Korea-Hongkong joint issue.

Korea’s mask – Chwibari mask seen in Bongsan mask Dance Drama

Having been performed since approximately 200 years ago, mainly as part of the Dano festival, Bongsan Mask Dance Drama is representative of Hwanghae province and its dance movements are cheerful and vigorous. Bongsan Mask Dance Drama is composed of 7 segments: Sasangjwa dance, Palmokjung dance, Sadang dance, Nojang dance, Saja (lion) dance, Yangban (nobleman) dance and Miyal dance. Featuring decadent monks, ruined yangban, his servants, shaman and ordinary folks, this dance conveys the message of “promoting virtue and rejecting vice” through lighthearted satire of the meager lives of ordinary folks contrasted with the Yangban/self-indulgent monks. The stamp features the scene of the Bongsan Mask Dance where Chwibari is hugging his child and of the Saja dance. In Bongsan Mask Dance, the lion is theentity sent by Buddha to chastie the wickedness of the human world.

Hong Kong’s mask – Big Head Buddha mask seen in the Lion Dance of the Southern area

Big Head Buddha appears mostly when a new year commences. There are various stories about the origin of Big Head Buddha, but mostly, it appears with lions. According to the legend, the lion was a spiritual animal in Buddhism , and it seeks deeper enlightenment about Buddha’s teachings. Holding a fan made of palm tree leaves in one hand, Big Head Buddha hits the lion’s head with this fan whenever the lion strays in concentration and leads the lion to the state of enlightenment. He also elevates the festive atmosphere by leading, through funny acts, the lion to make various gestures that are known to bring about good luck and rich harvest.

(Text of the issue’s information sheet)

Thank you, XU Hui and Seung Young Oh, for sending me again such a beautiful cover!

South Korea FDC 2008/10/01

Registered FDC of South Korea (2008/10/01): “The 50th Anniversary of Korea-Thailand Diplomatic Relations”

The two stamps of this mini-sheet depict the Juhamnu Pavilion of Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul and the Chakri Mahaprasat Hall of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

The Changdeokgung Palace was built in the 5th year of King Taejong’s reign during the Joseon Dynasty (in 1405), it had been used as the “official palace” (beopgung) where the king conducted governmental affairs for 258 years from1610 during the reign of Gwanghaegun to 1868 when king Gojong rebuilt Gyeongbokgung Palace. Famous for its rear garden that made best use of its natural topography, Changdeokgung Palace has been designated by UNESCO as a world heritage. Juhamnu Pavilion […] was built in 1776 (the year of the enthronement of King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty) as the royal library within the Palace. The pavilion’s first floor was called “Gyujanggak” where books were kept, and its second floor was used as a reading room.

King Rama I, who ascended to the throne as the first king of the Chakri Dynasty after the Ayutthaya era, built a palace on the east of Chao Phraya River in 1782. The Palace is now called “the Grand Palace“. The Grand Palace is 218,400 m² in area, has a 1,900 m long wall surrounding the palace, and is famous for its “Temple of the Emerald Buddha”. Chakri Mahaprasat Hall […] was completed in 1882 during the reign of King Rama V and [was] used as the King’s dwelling within the palace. Even though the building was built in a western style, Chakri Mahaprasat Hall’s roof is in line with Thailand’s traditional architectural style.

(Text of the Korea Post official info sheet.)

A huge “Thank You” goes to XU Hui and to Seung Young Oh for sending me this beautiful FDC!