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The PHILAKOREA 2025 World Stamp Exhibition, a global stage for cultural exchange through stamps, will be held from September 17 to 21 at the COEX Magok Convention Center in Seoul. To commemorate the fifth World Stamp Exhibition hosted in Korea, this issue presents Dancheong, a decorative technique that involves painting vibrant colors and patterns onto architectural structures using a variety of pigments. Beyond its practical role of protecting structures from wind, rain, and pests, Dancheong, based on the obangsaek (five cardinal colors), symbolically expresses the building’s hierarchy and dignity. The Dancheong of royal palaces is noted for its graceful solemnity that conveys absolute royal authority, while that of Buddhist temples is lavishly adorned to evoke religious grandeur. Dancheong was also used on Confucian schools, Confucian academies, monuments, and many other structures. Among the types of Dancheong are banjacho, decorations painted on the square ceiling panels known as banja, meoricho, patterns painted on the ends of structural elements, and geummun, geometric motifs. This dancheong stamp series features banjacho designs of dragons, phoenixes, and cranes. As celestial beings, dragons have long symbolized powerful royal authority. The Ssangyongdo (a pair of Dragons) on the banja ceiling of Junghwajeon Hall in Deoksugung Palace conveys the king’s sublime dignity through two dragons ascending through the clouds. Likewise, the two golden dragons on the canopy ceiling above the royal throne in Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace embody the monarch’s supreme authority and sanctity. The phoenix, a legendary bird said to appear in an era of peace and prosperity under a virtuous ruler, symbolizes wise governance and national tranquility. The Bonghwangdo (a pair of Phoenixes) on the banja ceiling of Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace and on the canopy ceiling of Injeongjeon Hall at Changdeokgung Palace depict phoenixes with wings spread wide, embodying the people’s aspirations for an age of peace transformed into art. As one of the ten symbols of longevity, the crane symbolizes long life and noble character. The Ssanghakdo (a pair of Cranes) on the banja ceiling of Seonwonjeon Hall at Changdeokgung Palace shows two cranes soaring together. Painted on the ceiling of a hall where portraits of Joseon kings were enshrined and ancestral rites performed, the Ssanghakdo serves both as a tribute to past monarchs and a prayer for the everlasting prosperity of the royal lineage. The souvenir sheet of commemorative stamps for the PHILAKOREA 2025 World Stamp Exhibition is crafted on wood to reflect the texture of Dancheong. May the beauty of Dancheong, which breathes dignity into architecture, be more widely known and preserved for generations to come.