2017-07-01 Sat

North Korea released two postage stamps to celebrate the country’s annual event “Struggle Against US Imperialism Month”. The month celebrates the start of the 1950 North Korean military campaign to push out American troops from the South.

The comic-book-like images on the new 30- and 50-won stamps depict fists, guns, and nuclear warheads pointed at the US Capitol. Many more politically-themed stamps have been issued by North Korea since 1946.

A 1969 stamp called International Conference of Journalists Against US Imperialism featuresRichard Nixon attacked by fountain pens. Another stamp celebrates the capture of the American warship USS Pueblo in 1968. A 1975 stamp depicts a North Korean civilian attacking and abusing a US soldier.

Stamp-making is a serious art form in North Korea. Artists use etching, painting, illustration, and photography on these little canvases. Collectors all over the world love these rare stamps for their graphic appeal. North Korea uses philately to bring in foreign currency into the country.

Korean Stamp Corporation is a member of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie since 1965 and produces various stamps for domestic use and international collectors. Many of them are dedicated to Kim Jong Il. Some commemorative stamps feature Disney characters and UK’s Princess Diana.