Detail

Special stamps featuring the traditional culture and traits of local regions will be issued in commemoration of the PHILAKOREA 2002 World Stamp Exhibition scheduled to be held in Seoul from August 2 to August 11, 2002. These stamps, representing the tangible cultural themes of 16 local regions in Korea, are designed to promote international relations of local cities as well as the nation`s interest in the stamp exhibition. Hometown Special - Seoul Heung-injimun, designated as Treasure No. 1, was bulit in 1396 during the Joseon Dynasty. This eastern gate of the castle guarded Seoul against invasion with the help of an impregnable semicircular fortress outside the gate. Hometown Special - Seoul Songpa Sandaenori is the mask dance usually performed on the first full moon of the lunar year, the Dano festival (on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar year), the July 15th Buddhist rite for the repose of the dead, and chuseok, the Korean thanksgiving, around two centuries ago when the Songpa town market flourished. Tje popular themes of these mask dances were the lives of apostate Buddhist monks and conflicts in family relations. Hometown Special - Gyeonggi Panmunjeom (the Freedom House), situated at the Demilitarized Zone in Paju city, Gyeonggi Province, is the location of the Freedom House for South Korea and Panmungak, the administrative headquarters for North Korea. The Freedom House holds liaison offices for South and North Korea, as well as the liaison offices for the Red Cross of both Koreas which serve as the hotline between the South and North. Hometown Special - Gyeonggi Yangjubyeol Sandaenori is a mask dance originating from the Yangju area. These dances, usually performed during the Dano festival of Chuseok thanksgiving, offered satirical entertainment with themes exposing realistic issues. Hometown - Incheon Baengnyeondo is home to the world`s one of two natural airports called Sagot. It also contains the Congdol Coast, made up of bean-sized pebbles of multiple colors as well as spectacular basaltic cliffs in Jinchon-ni and Dumujin, designated as Scenic Spot No. 8 for being one of the most dramatic scenery of the Western Coast. Hometown Special - Incheon Chamseongdan is the altar where Dangun, the legendary founding father of the Korean nation, is said to have performed a ritual to heaven. The lower column of the altar is round, symbolizing heaven while the upper column is square taking the shape of the earth. Every year, the sacred flames for the National Sports Festival are lit here. Hometwon Special - Gangwon Ulsan Rock is a huge solid piece of granite situated on the northern part of Mt. Seoraksan that is over 2 ㎞ long. The rock consists of six beautiful mountain peaks and provides a magnificent view of the grand sights of the Outer Seorak. Hometown Special - Gangwon Gangneung Mask Drama Performed by Ancient Government Slaves, meanwhile, is the only mask drama in Korea that is performed as a pantomime without any dialogue. Hometown - Chungbuk Beopju Temple, situated in Mt. Songni, one of the eight most scenic spots in Korea, was bulit in 553 AD during the reign of King Beop-heung of the Shilla Dynasty. King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty. King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty, as well as King Taejo and Sejo of the Joseon Dynasty, as well as King Taejo and Sejo of the Joseon Dynasty are also known to have stayed at this ancient temple. Hometown Special - Chungbuk Taekgyeon , believed to have been passed down from the Goguryeo period, is a traditional Korean martial art focused on self-defense by neutralizing an aggressor with flexible movements. Hometown Special - Chungnam Nakhwa-am is a rock on a high cliff known as the place where the ladies of the royal court jumped into the Baekma River, choosing death over being ravaged by the invading army when the kingdom of Baekjae crumbled in AD 678. Hometown Special - Chungnam Hansan ramie fabric, famed for its fine and delicate texture which is regarded as fine as the wings of dragongly, has been treasured since ancient times. Without the proper amount of moisture, the fabric snapped so it had to be woven where there is no sunlight nor ventilation even in the hottest of summer days. Hometown Special - Daejeon The Expo Science Park was built at the venue of the Taejeon Expo `93 in order to provide the public with a place for science education through exhibitions of various advanced science and technology and state-of-the-art video presentations. Hometown Special - Daejeon Daedeok Science Town, which is home to government-invested and private-sector research institutes, is the mecca of Korea`s science technology and has achieved numerous remarkable accomplishment in various fields of advanced science. Hometown Special - Jeonbuk Mt. Mai earned its name for its shape that resembles a pair of horse ears. The mountain is comprised of two peaks of peculiar shape. In between the two peaks are mysterious looking stone pagodas that cannot be explained by modern geometry. Hometown Special - Jeonbuk The Iri Folk Band features the distinctive playful movement of the feathers worn by the leading gong player. The melodies and dancers of janggu, the hourglass-shaped drum, are also well developed and the techniques of sogo (small drum) dance are diverse. Hometown Special - Jeonnam Odongdo Island, which has been designated as part of the Hallyeo Haesang National Maritime Park, is filled with rare trees and oddly-shaped stone and rock formations. In March, the entire island explodes with a profusion of camellia flowers that offers a magnificent sight. Hometown Special - Jeonnam During Chuseok, women held hands in a circle and sang, which was called Ganggang Sullae. This circle dance originated during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 when the Korean army sang in groups to exaggerate their military strength. Hometown Special - Gwangju The tower commemorating the May 18th Popular uprising situated at the center of the May 18th Cemetery in Gwangju is dedicated to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of democracy during the Gwangju uprising in 1980. Hometown Special - Gawngju The tug of war game of Gossaum Nori was played during the first full moon of the lunar year. Players placed the `go` made of huge straw ropes and each side composed of many players pulled to make the other side fall to the ground in order to win. Hometown Special - Gyeongbuk Dokdo Island, situated in the far eastern periphery of Korea, is a volcanic island that is apart of the Baekdu volcanic zone. Various indigenous insects and plants live on the island. The breeding place of rare birds including blacked-tailed gulls has been designated as a natural monument. Hometown Special - Gyeongbuk Andongchajeon Nori is a game played by two sides who make the `dongchae` by tieing logs. The two sides try to fell the other party`s dongchae to the ground by pushing each other. This game was played on the first full moon of the lunar year. Hometown Special - Daegu The seated Statue of Gwangbong Seokjoyeorae, also known as Gatbawi as it is wearing an enormous `gat` (Korean hat), is situated on Mt. Palgong at 850 meters above sea level. This stately statue of the Buddha emanating a sense of dignity and mercy stands 5.6 meters high and was built during the era of Unified Shilla. Hometown Special - Daegu The forest of Oriental pines in Dalseong, designated as a natural monument due to the importance of the area as the southernmost boundary of the distribution of the trees, offers breathtaking scenery as the precipice extending over 100 meters in height and 60 meters in length is covered entirely with Oriental pines. Hometown Special - Gyeongnam Haegeumgang earned its name as it was considered the Mt. Geumgang of the southern coast. This rocky island fronting the village of Galgotni in Geoje city is famed for its rock formations and the spectacular sunrises. It falls under the jurisdiction of Hallyeo Gaesang National Maritime Park. Hometown Special - Gyeongnam Goseong Ogwangdae is performed by five clowns symbolizing the five compass points of east, west, south, north and the center. Popular themes of the plays are satirical mockery of the ruling Yangban class and were performed on the first full moon of the lunar year. Hometown Special - Busan Taejongdae owes its name to King Taejong Muyeol of the Shilla Dynasty, as he lingered on this scenic spot after being struck by its breathtaking scenery. This hilly area ia situated at the southeastern tip of Yeongdo that is 200 meters below sea level. The corroded cliffs comprising dense forests and oddly-shaped rock formations with the azure sea as the backdrop offer a picturesque scenery. Hometown Special - Busan Dongnaeyaryu, also known as Daongnaedeulnoleum is a festival in which local residents participate. The participants exchange witticism and motions under different themes. Hometown Special - Ulsan Cheonjeonnigakseok is a rock wall with prehistroic carvings of various animals and humans, as well as geometrical patterns and inscriptions. It is presumed to date back to the middle of the New Stone Age to the Bronze Age. Hometown Special - Ulsan The mask dance called Cheoyongmu, which originated from the Legend of Cheoyong during the reign of King Heongang of the Shilla Dynasty, was performed at the royal court to ward off evil spirits. Five performers would dance and sing wearing the masks of Cheoyong in costumes in the colors of blue, red, yellow, white and black. Hometown Special - Jeju Mt. Halla is South Korea`s highest mountain rising 1,950 meters above sea level. Baeknokdam, the crater, adorns the top of this dormant volcano mountain. As the treasure house of alpine plants, the mountain has over 1,800 species of plants that form dense forests on vast plains. Hometown Special - Jeju On Jeju Island which had no beggars, thieves nor gates, Jeongnang took the place of gates. The placing of the logs of the Jeongnang informed visitors whether the master of the house was in and was used to block the entry of horses and cattle.