'Yellow postbox' offers a way to say 'I love you' through the years
Kim Bo-han, a 35-year-old graphic designer, wanted to propose to his girlfriend in a unique way. So he visited the ``Yellow Postbox'' in Bonghwa-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, with his girlfriend, where they exchanged love letters and then put copies in the special mailbox.
The Yellow Postbox is neither yellow nor a postbox. It is a small building that acts as a kind of time capsule where letters are stored for up to 20 years. There is a house for keeping the letters and there also is a small room that people can use to write their letters, whether they be about true love or the beautiful scenery of Bonghwa's surrounding mountains.
Jeon U-myeong, the man behind the Yellow Postbox, which opened on December 1, chose the color yellow for his idea's name because all postboxes in Korea are red, and he wanted his to be different, as well as to convey a feeling of warmth. He said that his invention "will arouse nostalgia in the older generation for the now-forgotten epistolary culture, while stirring a sensitivity for that culture in the younger generation.''
Persons who want to apply to have their letter stored in the Yellow Postbox can send their letter through the mail and then confirm their letter's "reservation" through the Internet ( www.yellowpost.co.kr). Letters sent to the Yellow Postbox will be kept in a vacuum-sealed container for up to 20 years, and then returned to their owners at a time of their choice.
The charge for letter storage in 10,000 won (US$10) for one year and 2,000 won for each additional year. Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
