Sunday, January 30, 2011

Pohang Iron & Steel Plant & Facilities (1973)


Today's featured stamp issue commemorates the opening of the Pohang Iron & Steel Plant in 1973. I can't recall exactly when I added this stamp to my collection, but I think the stamp was in a lot I purchased this past fall. Depicted on the stamp is a picture of the iron and steel plant with molten metal being poured in the background. The particulars for this issue are as follows:


  • Date of Issue: 03 July 1973
  • Scott Catalogue #: 873
  • Korea Postage stamp Catalogue (KPC) #: C584
  • Quantity Produced: 1,500,000

Checking this stamp issue on the Korea Stamp Society website yielded the following description of the stamp provided by the South Korean Ministry of Communication in 1973:

Pohang Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (POSCO) will celebrate on July 3, 1973, the Inauguration of Pohand Steel Works which is the key industry of the nation's Third Five Year Economic Development Plan.
To pursue the Government policy for modernization and industrialization of the country, POSCO carried out the initial ground breaking for the construction of the integrated iron and steel mill to include modern type and large scale ironmaking, steelmaking and rolling mill plants on April 1, 1970, under positive assistance of the Government.
Normal operation of the mill will meet the domestic steel demand and consequently will lead to a better foreign exchange position of the nation. It also will greatly contribute to the well-balanced industrial structure of the country by expenditing the development of related industries such as machinery, construction, automobile, shipbuilding, mining, etc.
The Pohang Steel Works is capable of producing 1.03 million tons of crude steel per annum and the products mix of plates, hot rolled coil, sheets, skelps and billets. POSCO has also finalized an expansion project plan, under which construction will begin this year, to produce 2.6 million tons, aiming at final production capacity of 7 million tons, of crude steel per annum.
In order to give wide publicity of this historic dedication of Pohang Steel Works, the Ministry of Communications is issuing this commemorative postage stamp.  

Today, the Pohang Iron & Steel Plant, also known as POSCO, is one of the world's largest steel makers! The South Korean automobile and shipbuilding industries have made it so. For those interested in learning more about POSCO's history there is an interesting write-up at: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/POHANG-IRON-AND-STEEL-COMPANY-LTD-Company-History.html

Additionally, here is the POSCO website (English):  http://www.posco.com/homepage/docs/eng2/jsp/s91a0010001i.jsp

Pohang will always have a special place in my heart. Pohang was the first place I visited in South Korea. The U.S. Marine Corps has a small presence in Pohang and maintains Camp Mu Juk (Marine Expeditionary Camp - Pohang) for training exercises that take place throughout the year on the peninsula. My first two visits to Korea in 1997/1998 were during these joint U.S.-ROK training exercises that are regularly conducted. One of the memorable highlights from my first two visits to Pohang was driving through the ROK 1st Marine Division's Headquarters and seeing some of the obstacle courses and other facilities used for ROKMC boot camp. Several years would pass before I would return to Pohang....in 2003, coincidentally the day after the Iraq War began, I was back near Pohang conducting amphibious landing exercises with a company of ROK Marines. This particular visit made a lasting impression in my memory because I got very very sea sick going from ship to shore and shore to ship. By the time we hit the shore and the vehicle ramps were lowered on the beaches half of us that were crammed like sardines in the amphib tracks had lost their breakfasts. Good times in Pohang. 

I have said time and time again that I enjoy stamps primarily due to the history and things that can be learned about our world from them...equally enjoyable is when a stamp issue helps bring to the surface memories of experiences and times in our lives that are either directly or indirectly tied to the stamp sitting before us.

I love this stamp issue not because of the design or topic of the stamp necessarily, but because of the memories it helps remind me of. Good times indeed.

Until next time...

-Beezer

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Korea's Advance to Antarctica (1987)




Today's post highlights a stamp issued in 1987 to commemorate South Korea's exploration of Antarctica. Featured on the stamp is a South Korean explorer, a map of Antarctica, and a small base camp with three penguins. I'm not a topical collector, but I know there are some who collect stamps with penguins and I found myself wondering whether this stamp is sitting in someone's penguin collection somewhere. Maybe not, but it did cross my mind. This stamp issue did not come with a souvenir sheet....just the stamp. Here are some details:

  • Date of Issue: 28 November 1987
  • Scott Catalogue #: 1504
  • Korea postage Stamp Catalogue (KPC)#: C1153
  • Quantity Produced: 3,000,000 


The Korea Stamp Society includes a description of this stamp made by the South Korean Ministry of Communications at the time of issue:
Antarctica, which covers the continent and islands surrounding the South Pole, is an attractive frontier of today's world, with a vast amount of natural resources including coal and petroleum and also of marine sources such as whales and krill in the seas around it.
A turning point in our interest in Antarctica was made when a group of our scientists landed there and made observations and explorations from November 6 to December 9, 1985. It was thus that a way was opened for Korea to participate in a future exploration of the Antarctica resources, if it comes about, and to join the Antarctic Treaty nations. On November 28, 1986, as a result, Korea was able to become a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, as the 33rd member country. It is expected that Korea's signing of the Antarctic Treaty will serve to highten not only our national pride as the host country the 1988 Seoul Olympics but our nations enterprising spirit of advancing out to the oceans as well.
The Ministry of Communications issues this postage stamp in commemoration of the meaningful event of our becoming a signatory power to the Treaty.
 


If you are like me and don't know much about Antarctica and the exploration treaty that was formed...check out the wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System

That's all for today...Have a great weekend!!!

-Beezer

Monday, January 17, 2011

15th Anniversary of Girl Scouts (1961)


Today's featured stamp issue for South Korea commemorates the 15th Anniversary of the Korean girl scouts. The design depicts a girl scout saluting in uniform and the girl scout logo in the top right with the motto beneath, which means "prepared" in English. I added the souvenir sheet to my collection this past fall and the stamp I acquired last month. I really like the design of this issue and the color combination helps make it an attractive stamp in my opinion. Here are the specifics:

  • Date of Issue: 10 May 1961
  • Scott Catalogue #: 325
  • Korea postage Stamp Catalogue (KPC) #: C148
  • Quantity Produced: 50,000 souvenir sheets and 500,000 stamps

The Girl Scouts of Korea were founded in 1946 and are headquartered, not surprisingly, in Seoul. Depicted below is a "line and block" chart of the current organizational structure of the Girl scouts of Korea:

I took a look online and found the website for the Girl Scouts of Korea. The website is well laid out and is rich in information about the organization. I do not know much about the Girl Scouts, but one thing I found interesting on the website (Korean Version) is the pictures of boys wearing Girl Scout uniforms alongside the girls. This is certainly a case of ignorance on my part, as I would not have guessed boys could serve in the organization. I've included the english version of the website here: http://www.girlscout.or.kr/eng_version/eng_main.html

For those who have daughters serving in the Girl Scouts of the U.S. there is a hyperlink off the english version of the Girl Scouts of Korea website that features contact information for the different branches of the Girl Scouts of Korea....a fun project might be to contact these Girl Scout Provincial Councils and establish a pen pal relationship between troops in the U.S. and in South Korea. 

Logo of the Girl Scouts of Korea
This was a fun issue to learn about. I have a daughter who is not quite of age to get involved in the girl scouts, but who knows, maybe once a bit older I'll get her plugged in and will be the one sending emails to her sister troops in South Korea....

Until next time...

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

3rd Korea Boy Scout Jamboree in 1967




Today's featured stamps and souvenir sheets were issued in 1967 to commemorate the 3rd Boy Scout Jamboree in South Korea. I added these stamps and souvenir sheets to my collection a few months back. Here are some of the particulars for this stamp issue:

  • Date of Issue: 10 August 1967
  • Scott Catalogue #: 580 (top image), 581 (bottom image)
  • Korea Postage stamp Catalogue #: C331 (top image), C332 (bottom image)
  • Quantity Produced (top image): 1,000,000 stamps and 80,000 souvenir sheets
  • Quantity Produced (bottom image): 500,000 stamps and 80,000 souvenir sheets 

One of the enjoyable aspects of collecting Korean stamps for me is learning more about the topic featured on the stamps and without fail the first place I usually stop at to get some background is the Korea Stamp Society homepage. For this featured stamp issue the Korea Stamp Society has the following information on it's website:

The third Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of Korea will be held at Hwarangdae, Seoul, the site of the Korean Military Academy from 10th to 15th August, 1967. The Jamboree is a part of a series of colorful events to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Korean Boy Scouts.
Nearly 6,000 Korean Scouts and 200 foreign Scouts and Scouters from the Republic of China, Japan, Philippines and the United States of America will participate in the great events. The objects of the Jamboree are to give opportunities to Scouts from all the Provinces of Korea to live together as brother Scouts and to foster unity and solidarity among them and also to promote the idea of the world brotherhood of Scouts.
The word "Jamboree" was used by Sir Baden Powell of Gilwell for the first time in the Scouting since he held the first international Jamboree in August, 1920, at London, England. The third Korea Jamboree will be not only a pageant to celebrate its 45th anniversary but also will dramatically show the picture of the Korean Boy Scouts movements.
   
Reading about the background to this stamp issue jogs some memories of the couple years I spent in the boy scouts as a child (in the U.S.) and reminds me of this past year (2010) and being up in Washington D.C. the weekend of the Boy Scout Jamboree. Admittedly, I know very little about the Boy Scouts in Korea...aside from the fact my brother-in-law was one. However, as I began to look into the Boy Scouts in Korea I found the topic to be quite interesting. Below is the emblem for the Korea Scout Association that I obtained from their website...very good breakdown of the symbol's meaning.



Interesting stuff indeed! Maybe since I'm on the topic of scouting I'll take a look at the 1961 stamp issue commemorating the 15th anniversary of Korean Girl Scouts next. Until then...

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Year's Greeting - 1973



Today's featured stamp issue is one of two that celebrates the New Year for 1973. Pictured on this stamp are two children wearing hanbok riding in a hot air balloon. I added 2x souvenir sheets and 1x stamp to my collection back in October 2010. Here are the specifics regarding this issue:


  • Date of Issue: 01 December 1972
  • Scott Catalogue #: 841
  • Korea Postage stamp Catalogue (KPC)#: N28
  • Quantity Produced: 70,000 souvenir sheets and 1,500,000 stamps


Happy New Year ~ 2011