The government has again banned the domestic sale of North Korean stamps depicting the Dokdo islets.

The Unification Ministry on Sunday warned that the large-scale import of North Korean stamps for commercial purposes could provide cash to the impoverished country.

It also pointed to the possibility of the stamps' inappropriate use as ideological propaganda.

Meanwhile, the stamp importer has blasted the government ban, saying it has removed all material that could be interpreted as an endorsement of the North's ideology.

The government first banned the sale of the stamps in April last year.