PhilaKorea 2025 Exhibition includes 200,000 Stamps from 65 Countries
The "1 Cent Magenta" stamp, considered the world’s rarest and most valuable stamp, will be exhibited in Korea for the first time.
The Korea Post of the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on Aug. 25 that it will host the World Stamp Exhibition PhilaKorea 2025 at COEX Magok in Seoul from Sept. 17 to 21. The World Stamp Exhibition is an international event held every 10 years to promote each country’s history and culture through stamps, expand philatelic exchanges between nations, and enhance citizens’ cultural life.
The exhibition will showcase approximately 200,000 outstanding stamp works from 65 countries worldwide. Notably, visitors can see the 1 Cent Magenta stamp, of which only one remains in existence. The 1 Cent Magenta stamp has a history of being issued in small quantities by the postmaster as a temporary stamp in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1856 when regular stamps were not supplied due to a storm. In 2021, it was auctioned at Sotheby’s New York for about $8.3 million (approximately 115 billion won), setting the record as the world’s most expensive stamp.
Several rare stamps worth hundreds of millions of won, including Korea’s first issued stamp, the "Munwi Stamp," will also be on display. According to Korea Post, this exhibition offers an opportunity to appreciate not only the historical value and rarity of each stamp but also the global ‘philatelic culture’ of researching and collecting stamps.
Cho Hae-geun, the director general of Korea Post, said, “The World Stamp Exhibition is a festival that facilitates the exchange of world history and culture through stamps,” adding, “We hope this exhibition will shed new light on the value of stamps and provide opportunities for citizens to enjoy culture in their daily lives.”