Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

The national Korean post office has set up a new website for viewing and purchasing ROK stamps. Take a look-

http://www.koreastamp.go.kr/

[wylies99]

There's also a link to "Korea Stamp World" in Seoul. Take a look-

http://www.koreastamp.go.kr/kstampworld/index.jsp

[skookum]

A good thing to have these items available via e-commerce -- one usta be able to go to the philatelic bureau in Seoul (near Seoul Station) as well as the stamp museum in the same building. But for some reason they moved it all to Cheonan of all places, and not even in that city proper, but up a little valley in the hills to the east. I don't imagine they get many visitors there any more - Cheonan isn't exactly Korea's leading tourist destination, even if people do come down from Seoul and elsewhere in busloads to view the Museum of Japanese Aggression and Independence Hall.

Although at this point I do seem to have lost most of my interest in philately.....

[wylies99]

[mc_jc]

There used to be a hobby shop in one of the older shopping arcades in Myeong Dong. Though its been awhile since I've been there (I collect coins and banknotes).
I am not sure but is the guy who has (or had) the small pushcart still sell coins and stamps in Insa-Dong?

[wylies99]

2/12 is when the Olympic stamps will be released.

[wylies99]

Rare stamps and old-world charm
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2902338
[Glimpse of Business in Seoul 39th in a series: Hoehyeon Stamp Shopping Center]

If you were a youngster in Korea during the 1970s, chances are you probably collected stamps as a hobby.

Back in those days, long lines resembling a celebrity autograph event formed in front of post offices every time the government issued a new stamp.

It�s fair to say that stamp collecting has lost some of its appeal over the years, so it�s no surprise that Hoehyeon stamp shopping center, a mecca for stamp collectors in Korea, looks like it�s seen better days.

Adjacent to the colossal main branch of Shinsegae Department Store in downtown Seoul, the underground arcade today looks worn out.

Connecting Shinsegae Department Store and Seoul�s central post office in Myeong-dong, it�s home to 17 antique stamp and antique coin stores plus shops selling used vinyl LPs and casual clothing.

At the stamp stores you can buy stamps [of course], old banknotes and coins. But it�s not just old stuff for sale. You can also get hold of lottery tickets, telephone cards and even maps.

Kim Dan, who runs Samseong Stamps in the underground arcade, was one of those kids back in the 1970s. He was a fanatic about getting his hands on the rarest stamps he could find.

�In the 1970s and 1980s, stamp collectors were mostly kids,� Kim said. �But now, hardly any kids visit my store. The people who buy now are mostly adults who collected during their childhood or collectors who want to sell their stamp collections,� he said.

If you are still obsessed with collecting postage, the Hoehyeon underground is a place you should visit. There you can find just about every stamp, banknote and coin ever issued in Korea. Prices range from a few hundred won to more than 5 million won ($3,457).

�I come here once every two or three months,� said Park Dae-hyeon, 19, a student. He said his father, an enthusiast in his youth, inspired him to start stamp collecting.

�There are almost no other stamp stores in Seoul except for here,� Park said, explaining that he has learned much about Korean history from the stamps, the �things that you can�t learn in school.�

The stores started to cluster in this neighborhood during the 1980s because of its proximity to the central post office. The underground arcade started leasing out shops around that time as well.

[Cacique]