On June 14th, 2006, the Post Authority of South Korea issued the stamps set
"Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo 2006" featuring two dinosaurs:
Iguanodon and Megaraptor.
Below are, slightly corrected, quotes from official press release,
of Korean Post, published on their website in 2006.
Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo 2006 was held in
Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, where multitudes of dinosaurs lived about
100 million years ago.
In January 1982, the fossil footprints of dinosaurs of
the Cretaceous Period, Mesozoic Era were discovered in Goseong, South Gyeongsang
Province.
As many as 10,000 dinosaur fossil footprints have been
identified in the vicinity of the Goseong area, particularly in the region of
Sangjokam beach: the world's largest (115 cm) and smallest (9 cm) fossil
footprints of sauropod dinosaurs, fossils of dinosaur eggs and that of
Cretaceous Period birds, to name a few.
These fossil findings make Goseong a site of high academic value in the study of
the Cretaceous Period.
Currently, Goseong is recognized as one of 3 sites in the world with the largest
number of dinosaur footprint fossils, together with Colorado of
the U.S. and the
Western Beach of
Argentina.
The 52-day Expo ran from April 14 to July 4 under the theme of the mysteries
of dinosaurs, the earth and life.
It provided a valuable opportunity to encounter, in virtual reality, various
dinosaur bones and fossils and to experience the lives of dinosaurs that lived a
hundred million years ago.
Numerous other events were held as well including an international academic
symposium on dinosaurs and international fossil/mineral exhibit, etc.
In anticipating that the Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo 2006 was
resounding success, a new stamps were issued featuring Iguanodon,
a grass-eating dinosaur, and Megaraptor, a meat-eating dinosaur.
The Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo keeps going and welcomes
visitors between April and June every year.
Below is a short video from 2020.
Technical details and short press releases: Korean stamp postal services,
colnect.
Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to
Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University,
for review of a draft of this article.