[Report] Visiting KT Wonju Telecommunications Museum... Emperor Gojong's Phone 'Deokryulpung', House-Price 'White Telephone'

KT Collection of 6,000 Historical Artifacts First Revealed, Covering 137 Years of Korean Telecommunications History
Wireless and Wired Communication Equipment Including Cultural Heritage Printing Telegraph Featured in the Movie 'Hunt' Also Unveiled

Five types of wall-mounted magnetic telephones (late 1800s to early 1900s). Key historical artifacts of Korea's telecommunications history, including the 'Deokryulpung (center)' used by Emperor Gojong, have been revealed to the public for the first time. Photo by KT

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] To mark the 20th anniversary of its privatization, KT has publicly unveiled for the first time over 6,000 artifacts held at the KT Wonju Telecommunications Archive. The two-story exhibition hall showcases Korean telecommunications history at a glance, featuring items ranging from the telephone personally used by Emperor Gojong during the late Joseon Dynasty, to pagers and public telephones that have become nostalgic memories for the parents' generation, and up to the latest smartphones that have transformed the lives of Korean people.

On the 16th, we visited the KT Wonju Telecommunications Archive in Wonju, Gangwon Province, a treasure trove of Korea's telecommunications history. The more than 6,000 artifacts publicly displayed for the first time include eight cultural assets such as the wall-mounted rotary telephone and the first dial telephone, as well as a printing telegraph machine, along with ▲facility equipment ▲management printed materials ▲business printed materials ▲historical printed materials ▲historical audiovisual materials ▲souvenirs, totaling 6,150 items. Since the integration of the Yongsan and Daejeon exhibition halls in 2015, some artifacts have been displayed at KT headquarters and the National Museum of Korea, but this is the first time the entire collection has been made public.

Information and Communications Independence 'Geumsan 1 Station'... The History-Changing 'Deokryulpung'

On the left side of the exhibition hall, early photographs of Korean telecommunications history are displayed. Tracing back 137 years, the opening of the Hanseong Telegraph Office can be considered the beginning of KT. The company took corporate form when it became independent from the Ministry of Communications in 1981. Historical photos from the Hanseong Telegraph Office era, as well as photos from the inauguration of the antenna at Geumsan 1 Station of the Geumsan Satellite Center in Chungnam, now a registered national cultural asset and retired, are exhibited.

Geumsan 1 Station holds special significance. Lee In-hak, director of the Information and Communications Research Institute and guide at the KT Telecommunications Archive, explained, "Previously, international calls had to be routed through Japan, which was costly and time-consuming, but from June 2, 1970, calls to countries worldwide became possible via satellite," emphasizing, "It marked the beginning of Korea as an export-import nation and the day of Korea's information and communications independence."

The oldest artifact is the 'Deokryulpung' telephone used in the late 1800s. 'Deokryulpung' is a Sino-Korean transcription of the English word 'Telephone.' The emperor used this device to communicate directly with his officials during important matters. Officials would prepare their attire and perform four deep bows before answering the call and holding the telephone.

Deokryulpung also changed Korean history. It saved the life of independence activist Kim Gu. Kim Gu, who fought and killed a Japanese man in a struggle to avenge Empress Myeongseong, was sentenced to death. However, on the day of his execution in July 1897, Emperor Gojong called the Incheon magistrate via telephone to order a halt to the execution. This was just three days after the telephone line between Seoul and Incheon was installed. Had the telephone installation been delayed even slightly, history might have been different.

Other telephones from different eras are also on display. Early telephones had separate transmitters and receivers, with a handle on the transmitter that was turned to send signals to the switchboard. Made of wood and lacking a dial plate unlike today, their appearance resembles audio equipment more than telephones. Magnetic and rotary telephones worked by lighting a signal lamp at the switchboard when the handset was lifted, prompting the operator to connect the call. Dial telephones operated by turning a dial to mechanically activate the switchboard for connection. Until the late 1970s, to prevent automatic switchboard failures, only telephones issued by the telephone office were allowed.

Registered Cultural Heritage No. 434 Printing Telegraph Machine (M19), 1940s. Photo by KT

Also exhibited is the printing telegraph machine, which disappeared with the advent of fax machines. The printing telegraph machines preserved at the KT Telecommunications Archive have been registered as cultural assets. They were used to recreate information and communications technology during the filming of the recent movie 'Hunt.'

Telegraph machines were installed at telegraph offices (post offices) for sending and receiving telegrams. Printing telegraph machines allowed messages to be typed and printed on paper, significantly improving the speed of written communication.

From 'TDX-1' That Opened the Era of One Phone per Household to the Smartphone Revolution

Among switching equipment as significant as Geumsan 1 Station in Korean telecommunications history is the 'TDX-1.' The Korea Electric Telecommunications Corporation, established in 1981, developed the electronic switch TDX-1 in 1984 and commercially launched it in 1986, becoming the 10th in the world. It played a major role in resolving chronic telephone congestion and expanding telephone distribution, ushering in the era of 'one phone per household.'

Before the TDX-1 switch was distributed, telephone supply could not meet demand, resulting in a shortage of telephones. There were about 600 'phone shops' in Seoul alone that bought and sold phones or rented them out. Due to ongoing issues surrounding telephones, the government allowed phones registered by August 31, 1970 (totaling 457,280 subscribers) to be traded, but prohibited trading for phones registered afterward. The subscriber list's color led to the terms 'white phones' for earlier subscribers and 'blue phones' for later ones. Those urgently needing a phone had to reluctantly buy the expensive white phones, with prices soaring up to 2.7 million won per unit. Considering that a 50-pyeong (approx. 165 sqm) house in Seoul cost around 2.3 million won at the time, this was an enormous price.

Public telephones from different eras are also on display. Although now rarely found on the streets, seeing the public telephones frequently used in childhood was nostalgic. The exhibition includes early public telephones that only accepted coins and the familiar phone card-type public telephones.

The first public telephone in Korea was installed 120 years ago. At that time, the usage fee was 50 jeon, equivalent to the price of five sacks of rice (about 400kg), making it very expensive. Public telephones became widespread with the introduction of the first domestically developed DDD (Direct Distance Dialing) public telephone for both local and long-distance calls in 1982.

Telephone directories from the past are also exhibited. KT used to distribute one free telephone directory annually to wired telephone subscribers to help them easily find numbers, and directories from the 1960s onward are on display.

The evolution of mobile communications is also showcased. The number of pager subscribers, which was only 235 in 1982, grew to 15,194,821 by 1997. At the time, not knowing the meanings of numbers like '8282 (quickly quickly)' or '1004 (angel)' meant you were not part of the new generation. It was fascinating to see an actual 'car phone,' a wireless phone installed in vehicles, for the first time.

The true beginning of mobile phones came with the commercialization of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology. CDMA is a 2G mobile communication technology that uses digital rather than analog methods. It allowed not only voice but also digital data transmission such as text messages, which was revolutionary at the time. With the launch of personal communication service (PCS), mobile communications rapidly expanded. In 1999, mobile phone subscribers surpassed wired phone subscribers.

Relatively recent smartphones, such as Apple's iPhone 3 and Samsung's Galaxy S series released domestically in 2009, are also on display. Heo Geon, KT's advertising team leader, said, "The launch of the iPhone in 2009 can be called a smart revolution," explaining, "From an industrial perspective, traditional phones and smartphones have different significance."

A scene of Lee In-hak, director of the Information and Communication History Research Institute, providing an explanation at the KT Telecommunications Museum located in Haenggu-dong, Wonju-si. Photo by KT

Director Lee said, "The telecommunications artifacts stored by KT in Wonju provide a comprehensive view of the eras according to the flow of Korea's information and communications and the lifestyle of the people, making them of very high historical value," adding, "As KT is the home of Korea's telecommunications history, we hope it will continue to play a leading role in the future ICT history."