
LITERATURE SERIES (1ST)

  
information on Korean stamp
| Date of Issue |
: 1995.09.25 |
| Types |
: 2 |
| Denomination |
: 130 won |
| Design |
: Chongeop-sa Song |
| Stamp No. |
: 1830 |
Printing Process
& Colors |
: Photogravure 5 colors |
| Size of Stamp |
: - |
WholeSheet
Composition |
: 5×4 |
| Image Area |
: 33×23 |
| Paper |
: White Unwatermarked |
| Perforation |
: 13 |
| Printer |
: Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation |
| Designer |
: Chung Yung-nam |
| Quantity |
: 3000000 |
Detail
`The Ministry of Information & Communication has decided to issue, beginning 1995, a series of stamps featuring some masterpieces of Korean literature through which the spirit and lives of the Korean people can be expressed to the general public. The first collection of the literature serise, now being issued, depicts the scenes of the ``Kuji-ga Song`` and the ``Chongeop-sa Song``, chosen from myriad ancient songs and lyrics.
1.Kuji-ga Song (The Turtle`s Back Song)
Kuji-ga gains importance from being the oldest existent dance song as well as work song performed by a chorus in Korea. According to a sketchy description taken from the Karak-kuk-ki (a narrative on the founding of the Karak-kuk) in the Sam-guk-yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), this short song, consisting of four lines, was first sung about 42 AD by the nine chiefs and villagers of the Kimhae region, South Kyongsang Province when they prayed for Suro, the legendary founder of Karak-kuk, asking him to desend to Earth and become their King. They danced on Kuji-bong Peak and sang ``Kuha ! Kuha ! (turtle ! turtle ! ) Stick out your head. If you don`t, we`ll cook and eat you.`` At first, the song was sung as an incantation in ceremonies to greet divine deities, but it later took on the role of a work song.
2.Chongeop-sa Song
Chongeop-sa is a lyrical song claasified in the Mugo (Drum Dance) portion of the Akhak-kwebeom (Standards of Musical Science). It is the only song from the Paekche Dynasty to survive and is the oldest to be preserved in the Korean alphabet. In this song, a hawker`s wife prays to the moon under its rays for the safe return of her travelling husband. The moon, in this song, is symbolically associated with the image of wish and prayer, because it brightens the world in the darkness of night. `
