North Korean stamps depicting the Dokdo islets have hit the South Korean market.

A Hong Kong-based film company which has exclusive rights to the sale of the stamps said Friday that South Korea’s Unification Ministry approved of the sale which was launched on Wednesday.

Earlier the ministry had denied the commercial sale of the stamps fearing it could be seen as cash aid to the North, but decided to approve it ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday.

The Dokdo stamps come in sets of ten depicting animals, plants and scenes of the volcanic outcroppings in the East Sea.

The islets also claimed by Japan are at the center of a territorial dispute with Korea.