South Korean stamps for 2021 are strong with thematic finds. Korea Post taps into the country’s rich natural beauty and cultural history to produce a few real gems for collectors. Along with the usual stamps, maxi cards and FDCs, they also offer information bulletins for every set. The bulletins are a bit different than the usual pdf info sheets and remind me more of the Japanese Framed Local Stamps.
The info sheets offer both Korean and English details about each set. A nice touch for any collection.
Interesting thematics
There haven’t been a lot of aviation stamps among the countries I’ve listed so far so it was nice to see a strong set come out in March. Korean Aircraft is the third in the series. If you are an aviation collector, check out previous years for the full series. 2019 was the 70th anniversary of the South Korean Air Force as well as the first in the Korean Aircraft series. All images are modern aircraft and helicopters, if you are more a pioneer aviation collector, you’re out of luck.
Another interesting area Korea Post excels is science. There are 3 sets including the first two for 2021. April’s Astronomical Sciences of Korea is a combination of ancient and new plus traditional art design and is the best of the lot.
If you are a collector of Lunar New Year stamps, Korea issued theirs in 2020. You can find them posted with the Year of the Ox listings.
Like Thailand, South Korea has a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity set. I could spend days just navigating their mind bending Constellation – an interactive visual representation of the world’s living heritage and how people weave in and out.
This interactive visual demonstrates the diversity and interconnectedness of the living heritage elements inscribed under the 2003 Convention. Navigate by concepts such as ‘Dance’, ‘Family’, or ‘Rituals’ to see almost 500 elements from communities in over 100 countries. Learn about this heritage and imagine where yours fits in!
Dive into intangible cultural heritage! – intangible heritage – Culture Sector – UNESCO
Cancels
Korean Post’s beautifully rendered architectural themed stamps also offer good collectable cancels. A trip through Korea Post’s past issues will keep anyone happy for days. The March 11 cancel is a stylized beauty. 
Keeping with the cancels, check out the Folding Screen one. This postmark is a good indicator of the quality of Korean cancels. They tend towards simplicity and elegance.
There is no doubt what the topic is with this cancel. It fills in details about the stamps without needing to do any research. Talk about tying everything together wth a single feature!
Note on translations
If you go to Korea Post’s website, don’t opt for the English version. Use the Korean site and use a Google Translate plugin. The English page lacks a lot of detailed information you get on the Korean language version. The only downside of Google Translate is the periodic wonky translations. I ran into a few problems with translations and I’m still working on making some of the titles a little more coherent. Please be patient as I use a bit of common sense and adjust the titles.
If you are looking for a useful resource for South Korean philately, try South Korea Archives — Korea Stamp Society. They cover both North and South Korean stamps. The information is excellent and will help with a translation errors you get with the Korean Post site. Korean Post’s press releases and blog also offer good information. I forgot to bookmark the pages. When I find them again, I’ll post them.
Follow, support, subscribe
As always, I’ll be updating this page throughout the year. You can follow me on Facebook & Twitter for update details. You can also leave me messages and question on either platform or in the comments below. I enjoy chatting with readers.
If you prefer to receive updates directly to your inbox, sign up for the weekly newsletter. Each issue will let you know when an article has been updated as well as tell you about new posts. Use the sign-up box in the sidebar to the right. Think about subscribing & supporting Bitter Grounds. If you enjoy reading about stamps, you can help with a donation via the little coffee cup on the bottom left or PayPal. I’ll do the heavy lifting in getting the material sorted and you can sit back and enjoy. It takes a lot of time to research each article, every donation helps.
South Korean stamps for 2021 – January
GEO-KOMPSAT Cheollian Satellites
3 stamps, souvenir sheet, 3 maxi cards, 2 FDC sets, cancel, information sheet, horizontal se-tenant strips of three
- Cheollian-2A Satellite and Weather Prediction, 2018
- Cheollian-2B Satellite and Storm Prediction
- Launch of Cheollian-1 Satellite, 2010
Designer: Park Byung-kyung
Release date: Jan. 26, 2021
South Korean stamps for 2021 – February
Kaist’s 50th Anniversary
\1 stamp, sheet of 16, 2 FDCs, cancel, maxi card
Designer: Kim Mee-hwa
Release date: Feb. 16, 2021
Repatriated Treasured cultural heritage
4 stamps, souvenir sheet, cancel, 2 sets FDCs, 4 postcards, se-tenant strip, blocks
- Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple
- Jade Seal of Empress Myeongseong
- Gyeongju Face Pattern Sumaksae
- Mother and Baby Monkey Celadon Water Dropper
Korean post issued a series of promotional ads for this series that are delightful. They are dedicated the people who worked hard to repatriated Korean cultural treasures. You can see them here [Stamps of February] Found Again Valuable Cultural Heritage: Naver Blog
Designer: Shin Jae-yong
Release date: Feb. 26, 2021
South Korean stamps for 2021 – March
Korean Old Architecture
Seowon (Neo-Confucian Academies)
8 stamps, souvenir sheets of four, sheet of 16, info bulletins, cancel
Designers: Andong Byungsan Book House Mandaeru, Jangsang Pilam Bookwon 2012, Achieved Todong Book Institute Return Order, Nonsan Donam 31 Ngdodang
Release date: March 11, 2021
3rd series
Hwajo Youngmodo – Bottled Wind
10 stamps, sheet of 10, 5 FDCs, cancel, info sheet, special mini screen presentation pack (translated from 화조영모 미니병풍), 10 maxi cards
Jang Seung-up (1843-1897) was a painter during the Joseon period. The stamps are taken from the artist’s folding screen.
Release date: April 6, 2021
Astronomical Sciences of Korea
Astronomical period of the Joseon Dynasty
4 stamps, souvenir sheet, cancel, 4 maxi cards, 4 FDCs
Designer: Kim Mee-hwa
Release date: April 21, 2021
The 30th Yeongwoeleu Show
1 commemorative cancel
Designer: Shin Jae-yong
Release date: April 30, 2021
May
Fans – Face to Face
6 stamps, souvenir sheet, postcard kit with 6 postcards, envelopes, stamps & sheet, 6 FDCs, cancel, 6 maxi cards,
Designer: Jung Lee-young
Release date: May 5, 2021
Incheon Lantern Festival Commemorative Stamp Exhibition
Commemorative cancel
Designer: Park Byung-kyung
Release date: May 7, 2021
Protected Marine Creatures
4th series
4 stamps, souvenir sheet, FDC, postcards
Designer: Park Byung-kyung
Release date: May 31, 2021
South Korean stamps for 2021 June
Taiwan Relics
4 stamps, maxi cards, Pre-cancelled FDCs, FDCs, Info folder, album pages
Designer: KN Creative Design Co., Ltd.
Release date: June 17, 2021
Mysterious animals in the palace
4 stamps, sheet of 16
Mysterious animals from the Gyeongbokgung Palace
Korean Post often turns the stamp themes into monthly wallpaper offerings. June’s wallpaper was a play on Mysterious Animals of the Palace. You can go to their website and download a new wallpaper each month. Here’s June’s:
Release date: June 22, 2021
Alpine Plants
4 stamps, 4 sheets, FDC, Souvenir Folder with or without mounts, album pages, FDC canceled
“beauty of Taiwan’s alpine plants and to call public attention to the importance of ecological conservation”
Chunghwa Post
Designer: Xu Wei
Release date: June 30, 2021
July
Beautiful lake
4 stamps, sheet of 16
Designer: Kim Me-hwa
Release date: July 1, 2021
Coastal Road View
4 stamps, sheet of 16
- Glory Baeksu Coast
- Gangneung Heonhwa-do
- Namsae Water-Mei Coast
- Jeju New Changfeng Tea Coast
Designer: Jung Lee-young
Release date: July 15, 2021
South Korean stamps for 2021 August
Town Councils
3 stamps, sheet of 15
- Gochang-eup Province 고창읍성
- Seosan Hamishe-eup Province 서산 해미읍성
- Gochang-eup Province 순천 낙안읍성
Designer: Kim Me-hwa 김미화
Release date: August 4, 2021
200th Anniversary of Father Kim Daegan’s Birth
1 stamp
Release date: August 20, 2021
September
General Postage
3 stamps, 3 cancels, 3 sheets
- “tai chi pattern” and “hunmin jungmyong”
- rose of sharon
- Celadon porcelain gourd-shaped teapot and cup
3 stamps, 3 cancels
These stamps reflect the Sept. 1 increase in price
Release date: September 1, 2021
Snow Primrose
1 postcard
Designer: 유지형 | Yoo Ji-hyung
Release date: September 1, 2021
Korean Ships
4 stamps, souvenir sheet
- crude oil carrier
- container ship
- bulk line
- Icebreaker carrier
Designer: 박은경 Park Eun-Kyung
Release date: September 15, 2021
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Jultagi -Tightrope Walking)
2 stamps, souvenir sheet
Jultagi, tightrope walking – intangible heritage – Culture Sector – UNESCO
Designer: 정은영 Eunyoung Jung
Release date: September 30, 2021
South Korean stamps for 2021 October
Stamps for the Week – Picture Books
4 stamps, sheet of 16, cancel
Picture books:
- 백두산 이야기 Mount Paektu story
- 넉점반 Knock Knocks or possibly knock point half
- 만희네 집 Manhee’s House
- 동강의 아이들 Children of Donggang
Designer: 정은영 Eunyoung Jung
Release date: October 25, 2021
2021 Korea stamp exhibition – Love Nature
2 postcards
issued for stampex.kr
Designer: 김미화 | Mihwa Kim
Release date: October 25, 2021
Korean Dogs
3 stamps, sheet of 15, cancel
Designer: 박은경 Park Eun-Kyung
Release date: October 29, 2021
Definitives
3 stamps, 3 sheets of 100
- big scarlet butterfly
- Yugwa – traditional Korean dessert
- long-tailed fly catcher
Designers:
신재용 Jaeyong Shin
정은영 Jung Eun-young
김미화 Kim Mi-hwa
Release date: October 30, 2021
November
Korea Postage Exhibition
Designer: 유지형 Yoo Ji-hyung
Release date: November 3, 2021
Medicinal plants
3 stamps, 1 sheet of 12
- Angelica gigas /Korean angelica
- Lonicera japonica / honeysuckle
- Leonurus japonicus / motherwort
- Korean Epimedium
Designer: 유지형 | Yoo Ji-hyung
Release date: November 10, 2021
Tomb of King Wonseong, Gyeongju
1 special cancel
Designer: 신재용 Jaeyong Shin
Release date: November 12, 2021
Guamegi
1 special cancel
Designer: 박은경 Park Eun-kyung
Release date: November 12, 2021
The Beauty of Hanbok
4 stamps, sheet of 16, cancel
An Introduction to Hanbok, Korean national dress (theculturetrip.com)
Wikipedia has an extensive writeup on Hanbok Hanbok – Wikipedia
Hanbok Handbook opens to a pdf
Designer: 신재용 | Jaeyong Shin
Release date: November 18, 2021
Busan Gamcheon Culture Village
special cancel
Designer: 정은영 Eunyoung Jung
Release date: November 26, 2021
Jukbangryeom in the Namhae Jijik Strait
special cancel
Designer: 김미화 Mihwa Kim
Release date: November 26, 2021
December
New Year’s Stamp – Year of the Black Tiger
2 stamps, souvenir sheet of 4, sheet of 16, cancel
From the myth of Dangun to Hodori, the mascot of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the tiger has historically been a symbol of Korea and the Korean people. Since ancient times, there have been many tigers in Korea, so it has been called ‘the country of tigers’. In folk tales and myths, tigers appear as beings living in close relationships with humans. In <Samguksagi>, a tiger is portrayed as the protector and helper of the hero who nursed Gyeon Hwon, the founder of Later Baekje. You can also find the appearance of a tiger in the field of art. A lagoon (a stone tiger) was placed in the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and <Yonghodo> was hung in front of the gates of government offices in the late Joseon Dynasty. <Yonghodo> is a large painting with a large tiger in it, and it is presumed to be a Sehwa (a painting that means blessing the new year). As such, the tiger has been portrayed as a guardian animal since ancient times and has been considered sacred by our people.
연하우표 – 우표 상세보기 – 한국우표 – 한국우표포털서비스 K-stamp (epost.go.kr)
Designer: 김미화 | Mihwa Kim
Release date: December 1, 2021
21st Chuncheon video stamp exhibition
special cancel
Graphic shows Chuncheon Samaksan Lake Cable Car
Designer: 김미화 Mihwa Kim
Release date: December 12, 2021
Hawthorn
1 stamp, sheet of 100, cancel
Designer: 유지형 | Yoo Ji-hyung
Release date: December 17, 2021
한글 Hangul – Korean Alphabet
1 stamp, sheet of 60, cancel
Designer: 정은영 | Eunyoung Jung
Release date: December 17, 2021
Jeju Tangerine
Special cancel
Designer: 신재용 | Jaeyong Shin
Release date: December 31, 2021
Don’t stop reading! If you love nature, then Namibia is a must see. Don’t forget to subscribe & support this website.
0 Comments