'Mr. Hong Young-sik' is called "the Father of the modern Korean postal system". In Korea, the modern postal system was introduced in 1884 during the reign of King Kojong, which was when postage stamps first began to be used for the collection of postal service charges. The Postal Services Bureau was created in April 1884 by a royal edict, and Hong Young-sik was appointed as its chief. Korea's first postage stamps, called Moon-Wi Stamps, were issued on November 18 of the same year (October 1 by the lunar calendar).

The Postal Services Bureau was established on April 22, 1884 and began providing postal services on November 18. Unfortunately, however, the newly-born agency was forcibly closed down on December 8, as a result of the abortive coup that we typically call "Kapsin Chongbyon", which took place on December 4. The coup was planned and carried out by reform-minded Koreans, including Hong, who chose to use the banquet in celebration of the opening of the postal administration as an occasion for disposing of conservative officials.