Some of the stamps commemorating the 10th anniversary of BTS's debut were sold out online in advance.
According to Korea Post on the 23rd, 120,000 sets of 10 stamps went on sale at 7 p.m. the previous day and sold out around 10 p.m., just three hours later.
Online pre-sales were initially delayed for 20 to 30 minutes due to a large number of users, but the situation quickly normalized. This was possible because Korea Post implemented measures such as traffic distribution and limiting the number of simultaneous users to prevent overload.
What makes this stamp collection unique is that despite being dedicated to the 10th anniversary of BTS's debut, it does not feature the members' faces. Korea Post stated, "The stamps only contain images of the albums, including '2 COOL 4 SKOOL,' 'Skool Luv Affair,' 'Hwayang Yeonhwa pt.1,' 'WINGS,' 'YOU NEVER WALK ALONE,' 'LOVE YOURSELF 轉 'Tear',' 'MAP OF THE SOUL : 7,' 'Dynamite,' 'Butter,' and 'Proof.' Instead, photos of BTS members are included in the commemorative booklet."
Korea Post explained that this decision was made to comply with relevant laws that discourage the use of portraits on stamps. Commemorative stamps are issued in accordance with the "Korea Stamp Regulations" under the Korea Post Order. Article 2 of these regulations outlines the purpose of issuing commemorative stamps based on "materials of national significance or those that can foster national sentiment."
Additionally, Article 4, Paragraph 3 limits the occasions when commemorative stamps can be issued to six cases. Among them, the stamp commemorating BTS's 10th debut anniversary was issued based on the provision that "it is necessary to promote individuals recognized for their significant contributions to enhancing national prestige and international peace to the public."
The question arises with Article 4, Paragraph 5. It states that stamps featuring living individuals cannot be issued except in special cases such as stamps commemorating the president's inauguration or promoting national prestige. In the case of BTS, the stamp issuance was justified by their contribution to national prestige.
However, in the case of living individuals, stamps were produced only with album images as part of the policy to minimize or avoid their use. A Korea Post official explained, "In the past, we issued commemorative stamps featuring living individuals who won Olympic gold medals, but this measure takes into account the social controversies that have arisen involving such individuals since then."
Discover the Special Stamp Collection Dedicated to BTS’s Milestone and the Reason Behind its Unconventional Design
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