Korea (South) 1948 – Kyongju Observatory
The 7th-century celestial observation tower at Kyongju (now Gyeongju), first
shown on a Korean stamp in 1946, turned up again on one of the first stamps to be issued after South Korea
became an independent republic in 1948. The star background looks as though it
is intended to represent Ursa Minor, the little bear. The stone tower is
regarded by Koreans as one of their great cultural treasures, and in fact the
whole area of Gyeongju, which is dotted with architectural remains of all
kinds, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. There was also a
light blue version of this stamp, SG number 109b but not listed in the Gibbons
Simplified Catalogue. A surcharged version was issued in 1951, overprinted with
the value “300 w”; it is SG 149 (SG 149b for the light-blue version).
Kyongju Observatory makes its third and final appearance in our list of oldest
astro stamps on a South Korean issue from 1956.
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