In early 1983 Pan Am received Civil Aeronautics Board approval of an amendment to its certificate to allow U.S.-Japan-South Korea and U.S.-Japan-Taiwan service. Pan American inaugurated service from Washington and New York to Taipei, Republic of China on June 14, and Seoul, South Korea on June 16, 1983.

Washington, D.C. (Dulles Airport) to New York (Kennedy Airport) service operated with a Boeing 727, and connected with the existing New York-Tokyo nonstop Boeing 747SP service. Passengers and mail were then transferred at Tokyo to a Lockheed L-1011-500, which operated separate flights to both Taipei and Seoul on an alternating basis. Thus, probably for the first time, philatelic authorization was sought and granted for covers (from Washington) flown on planes making two equipment changes before reaching the new destination.

This cover was carried on the inaugural Pan American flight from the United Nations Post Office in New York to Seoul, Korea (where it was backstamped) and is listed in The American Air Mail Catalogue as PA-F52u.