Korean Joseon-era stamps
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
1884-1905
Issuing entity
Joseon Korea / Korean EmpireKorea officially inaugurated its postal service on November 18, 1884, with a series printed in mun denominations by the Japanese Paper Money Bureau of the Ministry of the Treasury.
Following a suspension of postal operations, regular stamp production resumed in 1895 with issues printed in poon denominations featuring the taegeuk symbol. These stamps were later overprinted "Dae Han" in 1897 and surcharged in 1900, leading into subsequent Korean Empire issues featuring plum blossom and bird emblems before postal administration was assumed by Japan.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Following diplomatic inspections of foreign postal systems by reformist official and first Postmaster-General Hong Yeong-shik, Korea opened its first post office in Seoul and launched postal routes to Incheon in November 1884. Unused stamps were handed over to a Hamburg firm in 1886 to settle printing costs. Postal operations were reintroduced in 1895 using stamps produced in Washington, D.C., and Korea subsequently joined the Universal Postal Union on January 1, 1900.
Design
- Note
- Yin-yang and national emblem designs.
Identification
- Note
- First-issue material is heavily forged and requires expert authentication.
- Recognition pointers (from background sources)
- Look for the 1884 first series in 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 mun denominations displaying decorative motifs such as lotus petals, bats, peonies, and arabesques; note that first-issue material requires expert authentication against heavy forgery. Recognise later Korean Empire issues by the plum blossom and taegeuk emblems on the 1900 series, the orange crown design of the 1902 commemorative issue, or the 1903 falcon motif.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Catalogue numbers and issue dates require transcription from a standard stamp catalogue.