Destination: Cheonan Postal Museum (Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do)

I know what you’re thinking – a postal museum? – and have this to say: I love getting off the beaten path. Since people seem to cover the same places over and over again, I’ve made it a point to try seeing the places where most foreigners don’t venture.

The 우정박물관 (u-jeong bak-mul-gwan) was originally on the fourth floor of Seoul’s main post office. After the building was torn down, the postal museum moved here in February 2004, and is part of the Ministry of Information and Communication Officials Training Institute in Cheonan. The museum covers the entire history of the postal system, but covers it in a fairly swift fashion that doesn’t take long to see.

Modern art seems to be found in front of virtually every major commercial building, and this one is no exception. Don’t be too intimidated by the size of the building – the postal museum only takes up part of the first floor.

Pose with the Kart Rider! The popular computer game has been around for years.

A 우체사 일부인 (u-che-sa il-bu-in) – a date stamp used during the early 20th century.

One nice thing about museums – even the seemingly normal stuff is saved and preserved.  While Korea was getting its postal system together, one Min Sang Ho attended the 5th congress of the Universal Postal Union in 1897. These are just a couple of the dozens of business cards he received – on left, Manuel Benitez Vitar, and on right, Dr. Horace N. (Newton) Allen – “Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America”.

As the Joseon Dynasty was winding down and Western influences began to creep in, Hong Yeong-sik traveled to Japan and the US to learn about their postal services. After he returned, he reported the need for Korea to create its own postal service. King Gojong saw fit to issue this royal decree in 1884, which opened the 우정총국 (u-jeong-chong-guk) and put Hong Yeong-sik in as the first president.

An interesting timeline of Korean postal uniforms – note the change from traditional Korean to more Japanese-looking uniforms to more Western-looking uniforms. Although no dates are visible, you can make a reasonable guess at when they were worn based on appearance..

Some old-school post boxes – the one on the left dates from the Japanese colonial era (early-to-mid 20th century), and the one on the right dates from the early 1950′s.

A number of panels display the stamps released, one panel per decade. There aren’t as many offerings as you might think, so putting together your own collection might not be too hard.

Behind a glass wall is some postal equipment and the oh-so-fashionable styles of postal workers.

Hey, look – actual stamps! I’m glad the stamps have been brought to life by explaining the history and so on, but it’s also nice to see the actual stamps on display.

One of the first Korean stamps issued in 1884 – note ‘Corea’ – as seen through a magnifying lens.

The tour almost over, we stopped by the information desk, where the attendant motioned  to stamp our own brochure, complete with today’s date. There was no souvenir shop or stamp store – no big deal, since the typical Korean post office has plenty to offer already.

But wait! – the show isn’t quite over yet. Outside the building and off to the side is an old-school postal train used to carry mail across the country. The inside has been refurbished nicely:

Not pictured on the other end of the train is a basic setup of a postal worker sorting mail along the way.

Behold – the world largest mailbox. At 1.8 meters wide, 1.4 meters deep, and 4 meters tall, , you;ll need the stairs to drop in your postcard. It’s functional as well – mail is picked up at 4pm.

For a stamp collector’s take on Korean stamps, check out the appropriately-named blog, Korea Stamp Collector. The museum’s official website is only in Korean. If you’re ready for a day trip from Seoul, or just want to get off the beaten path, this is a pretty cool place to see.

Ratings (out of 5 taeguks): How do I rate destinations?
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Directions to Cheonan Postal Museum: Take line 1 of the Seoul subway system to Cheonan station. This is about as far south as you can get on the subway system, so grab a snack and drink before jumping on. Once at the station, take exit 1 and turn left to street level. At the bottom of the stairs, look right – you’re looking for stairs to an underground market. Cross the road via this underground market, or jaywalk across if that’s your thing. Find the bus stop on the other side, and jump on bus 15 or 51. These come somewhat infrequently – one or the other comes every half hour or so. Pay 1,200 won in cash (Seoul’s T-money cards do NOT work as of April 2011), then ride for about 20 minutes to the 양담말 (yang-dam-mal) bus stop. Walk along the road and follow the signs for the postal museum – it’s about a kilometer to the entrance from the main road. Free admission, but obtain a visitor’s pass from the security guard at the front gate. Open 9am-7pm Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday.

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