North Korea --- International Mail, Outgoing and Incoming.

As in my recent blogpost, showed a North Korean TP Cover.

Now here is an introduction to normal North Korean international Mail.

1) TP cover


TP covers plays an very important role in North Korean international mail. Due to the shortage in resources, and the situation in North Korea, most outgoing mail by Government Department or Foreign Affairs Organisation, are simply stamped by TP cancellation . And due to the shortage of resources, old covers are always used. For example in the above cover, it is believed that it is a FDC for an issue in 1994.

2) stamped cover.

(Source: www. dprk-cn.com)

Stamped cover is not easily to be seen nowadays, except for philatelic purposes.

Before 1999 there were some stamped covers sent out by government organisations, for example the above cover were sent by KPEA.

Or , there are covers sent from DPRK to China, from Koreans to their Chinese Korean relatives .
This is also an important souce of DPRK outgoing mail. For example:



3) Philatelic covers.

Philatelic covers are also a large souce of DPRK outgoing mail. The Korea Stamp Corporation are able to send mail like FDCs or Postcards from Pyongyang to the world. And it is eaily to be get for all stamp collectors in the world.

FDC

Postcards:





Incoming Mail.

It is the fact that there are very few incoming mail to North Korea. And every mail incoming would be opened and checked. Here are some of my covers sent to Pyongyang.