Postage stamps and postal history of Korea


This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Korea.
Before a strict isolationist country, Korea began to open up in the second half of the 19th century.

Stamps of Joseon dynasty

Joseon issued its own first stamps on 18 November 1884 when the first postal service was created. While five values were printed - 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 mon, only the 5m and 10m values were issued, and even these saw little use, as the post office was burned down during a revolt in December 1884.
The next series of stamps did not appear until 1895, and consisted of four values: 5, 10, 25, and 50 poon, all of the same design featuring a taegeuk symbol. They were overprinted "Dae Han" in 1897, and surcharged to 1 poon in 1900.

Stamps of Korean Empire

A currency change in 1900, to rin, cheun, and \