Title : Definitive Postage Stamp (40 won)
Stamp Serial#
 2069 
KPC#
 406 
MICHEL#
 2097 
StanGib#
 Not listed 
Scott#
 1987 
Date of Issue
 06/10/2000 
Quantity
 To be issued as required 
Denomination
 40 won 
Design
 Purpuricenus lituratus 
Designer
 Kim, Sung-Am 
Image Area
 25mm*22mm 
Perforation
 °˘13 
Sheet Composition
 10*10 
Paper
 White unwatermarked
Print
 Korea Minting and Security Corporation 
Description
In line with the Ministry of Information and Communication’s plan to phase in new definitive stamps to replace those that have been in use for some time, the 40-won definitive stamp showing a ‘Korean pine tree,’ which was first issued on May 24, 1993, is being replaced by one displaying an insect called "Purpuricenus".

In Korean, Purpuricenus lituratus is the ‘Moja Juhong Hanulso’ or ‘Mojamuni Juhong Hanulso’ (hat-patterned purple long-horned beetle), because it has a black hat-shaped mark on the lower middle side of its hardened forewings. This beetle belongs to the "family Cerambycidae" (order Coleoptera) and ranges in size from 17 to 23 mm. Its corselet and forewings boast a strikingly beautiful reddish-yellow color. Adults emerge from May to mid-June and are usually found on a variety of flowers or on the leaves of oak trees. The insect is native to Korea, Japan, Manchuria, and Siberia.

Imagine this teeny-tiny little insect, brilliant purple in color, perched on a pure-white envelope, and greeting the coming of summer with this cute and adorable beetle stamp!