The North Korea of 1966 had not yet fallen behind it’s Southern cousins economically. North Korea has important natural resources in coal, tungsten, zinc, and even gold. That was just what Japan found during the colonial rule. Now it is all in the countries hands, so perhaps the resources will spread to the people. That could have happened. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This is a great issue of strong, determined workers in the areas of construction, mining, industry, and machine tool production. They show vast facilities and scientific methods. These are the kind of stamps newer communist countries do so well. Early on there really is a belief that such things being in the hands of the state instead of capitalist and often even foreign exploiters will move the country forward by great leaps. I admit, the optimism is contagious.
Todays stamp is issue A615, a 40 Chon stamp issued by North Korea on November 20th, 1966. It was a four stamp issue in various denominations with todays mining stamp the highest value reflecting the industries’ importance to Korea. Unlike the other stamps in the issue, the stamp came out with no gum on the back. There is still a value given for used, so I assume they are cancelled to order. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth $2.10 cents unused.
Most of the mining going on in North Korea in 1966 was done in mines left over from the Japanese. For example, Korea’s most important mineral zinc comes from the largest mine in eastern Asia at Geomdeock. It was founded by the Japanese in 1932. The complex was quickly nationalized by the North Korean regime but as never progressed beyond the old method of flooding and collecting the zinc as it floats up.
In coal output the Gogeonwon mine produces the highest form of coal anthracite, mainly for export and North Korea is the largest exporter of anthracite. with over a billion dollars a year of exports. It too was founded by Japan in 1920 and subsequently nationalized. Coal for electricity comes from a newer mine opened in 1997 in Jikdong. It however produces lower quality lignite or brown coal that has a much lower energy content. North Korea is very short of electricity despite large reserves of coal and a large workforce that must work where assigned even a tired old mine.
Gold is one area where North Korea has been able to make some headway. A new mine in Songnong opened in 1956. The mine extracts tailings that contain 30 grams of gold per ton of extraction. There is a connected processing plant that has over time processed over 20 million tons of tailings. The now giant pile of waste rock was tested and still contains 1.5 grams of gold per ton.
South Korea did a survey that agreed with this stamp as to the potential for mining in North Korea putting the potential at 9.7 trillion dollars. This attracted a lot of investment from China in the sector. The investments have not proved lucrative due to the shortage of electricity that modern mines require in great quantities and capitalist sanctions on Korea that threaten to blacklist firms that get too involved.
Well my drink is empty and my search continues for one of these optimistic communist industry stamps where the results were as hoped and continue on. Come again soon for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2020.