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`The Universal Postal Union was founded in 1874 in Berne, Switzerland when plenipotentiary delegates from the twenty-two countries including Germany and the United States of America signed the 1874 Treaty of Berne drafted by Heinrich von Stephan, a senior official in the postal administration of the North Germany Confederation. The Republic of Korea joined the UPU in 1900. As of September 1993, the UPU comprises 185 member countries. The UPU Congress convenes every five years, and the Republic of Korea was designated as the host country of the 21st Universal Postal Congress in 1989 at the Washington Congress. At this Congress there will be discussions about the future direction and policy of the world postal services, reorganization of the UPU and revision of the Acts of the international postal services, etc. Simultaneously there will be elections of the new members of the Executive Council and the Consultative Council for Postal Studies, and the Director-General of the International Bureau of the UPU. And also making a five-year business plan for the UPU and technical cooperation programme for international postal services will be major agenda of the Congress. The Republic of Korea will chair the Congress and will serve as the chair country of the Executive council of the UPU for the next five years after the Seoul Congress, thereby enhancing the international status of the Korea Post and reinforcing its role in the world. In commemoration of the Seoul Congress the Ministry of Communications issues two kinds of commemorative postage stamps depicting ``Weaving`` and ``Musicians and a Dancer`` by Kim Hong-do, a famous Korean painter.`