DPRK-US Singapore Summit Commemorative Stamps

For most, a visit to the Korean Stamp Museum in downtown Pyongyang is a chance to buy souvenirs. However, the museum also offers a fascinating, if a curious, tour of North Korean history. With some context, the exhibit is insightful, yet curated, look into how the country has seen itself and the world over the years through philatelic media — stamps.

The museum, located in a newly renovated building in downtown Pyongyang, displays Korean stamps from the 1940s to today. Stamps highlight important events, policies, and developments in the DPRK’s history as well as world events, such as the launch of Sputnik. There are stamps on everything from the natural world —birds, fish, and dinosaurs — to the seemingly non-sequiturs — for example, a stamp for the birth of Prince William to Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

The 2018 Singapore Summit between the DPRK and United States is no exception. On 12 June 2019 the Korean Stamp Corporation (조선우표사 | 朝鮮郵票社) issued a commemorative souvenir stamp sheet of ‘The First DPRK-US Summit Talks’.

The set features three stamps:

A 50 won stamp of the Singapore Summit Joint Statement

A 200 won stamp of ‘Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Meeting with US President Donald J. Trump’

A 200 won stamp of ‘Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un signing the joint statement’

The Korean Stamp Corporation has printed 10,000 sheets, each of which sells for US 4.50.

At first, it may seem strange to see an American flag on a North Korean stamp, but through the years the Korean Stamp Corporation has been philateliclly faithful to commemorating the country’s public history of which Donald J. Trump, for better or for worse, is now a part.