Title : Postage Stamps OF SEOUL OLYMPICS 1988 (1st Issue)  (View Souvenir Sheet)
Stamp Serial#
 1377 
KPC#
 C-1027 
MICHEL#
 1401 
StanGib#
 1660 
Scott#
 B20 
Date of Issue
 03/20/1985 
Quantity
 9,000,000 
Denomination
 70+30 won 
Design
 The Olympic Mascot 
Designer
 Kim, Hyun 
Image Area
 22mm*32mm 
Perforation
 13 
Sheet Composition
 Sheet of 20(4*5) 
Paper
 White Unwatermarked
Print
 The Korea Mint Corporation 
Description
The 24th Olympic Games will be held in Seoul September 17 through Ocotober 2, 1988. The Olympiad, which traces back to the athletic festivals of Ancient Greece, makes its deal to bring forth a peaceful world. "Harmony and progress", has been adopted as the motto for the Seoul Olympiad, which will be long remembered as a glorious event in history.

In celebration of the event the Ministry of Communicatons will issue eight kinds of stamps each year from 1985 until 1988. The two following stamps are the first of the series.

1.The Emblem.
The idea of the design comes from "Sam Taegeuk", a Korean traditional motif of decoration which combines three huge commas into a circle representing harmony of heaven, man, and earth. The motif is often found in the decoration of the Korean traditional gate and works of folk handicraft. As "The emblem of the Seoul Olympics", Sam Taegeuk represents 'gathering' and 'diffusing': the centripetal movement symbolizes the gathering of the world's athletes in Seoul for a peaceful competiton, whereas the centrifugal movement symbolizes the diffusing of the spirit of peaceful competition throughout the world.

2. The Mascot.
The mascot is a Korean tiger, depicted as a cute little figure. Through legends and fables, the tiger has been familiar to us as a powerful but friendly animal. The particular tiger is turning a "Sangmo", a hat with long tape attached to it put on when farmers play farm music at a festival. Sangmo placed on the tiger's head is intended to represent the folk tradition of the Korean people. The 'S' shape of the tape is the first letter of the host city Seoul.