[Report] Experiencing 'Coloring' with Feature Phones on Hongdae Street in the 2000s

Experience SKT T Factory and KT Ad Shop Plus V Coloring

It has been 21 years since the birth of 'Coloring,' a service that allows users to express their individuality instead of the monotonous call connection tone. The three major telecom companies opened experience zones in Hongdae, the site of the first Coloring launch in 2002, offering a unique experience that bridges the past and present.

On the 23rd, we visited 'T Factory' and 'KT Ad Shop Plus' near Hongdae Entrance Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to experience the V Coloring service.

T Factory V Coloring Experience Zone
Photo by Oh Su-yeon

Coloring is a service that plays music pre-set by the receiver instead of the usual call connection tone when a call is made. SKT commercialized it for the first time in the world in 2002. Coloring was praised for changing communication culture. With the advent of the 5G era and the rising popularity of video content, SKT launched 'V Coloring' in September 2020, which shows videos set by the receiver. From May 2021, the three telecom companies started a joint service, and from August of the same year, they began joint marketing. An SKT official said, "When V Coloring was first introduced, content producers (CP) were the main users, but recently, ordinary users have been actively creating and uploading videos," adding, "The number of subscribers has increased by about 5% compared to the end of last year."

The experience zone on the second floor of T Factory is set against the backdrop of the Hongdae streets of the 2000s, when Coloring was first launched. The first experience was taking selfies with a feature phone. Instead of the latest Galaxy smartphone, selfies were taken with an Anycall folder phone and sent via text message instead of KakaoTalk. The blurry low-resolution photos and the 10-second delay in sending text messages evoke a nostalgic rather than frustrating feeling. You can also listen to 2000s songs on an MP3 player. To create this corner, SKT procured old MP3 players from iRiver.

T Factory V Coloring Experience Zone
Photo by Oh Su-yeon

The most popular corner is the Photo Drink. Visitors can take sticker photos dressed in 2000s idol costumes. There are also props from that era, such as vintage digital cameras.

After experiencing the 2000s, visitors return to 2023 to try 'V Coloring.' They can call Pengsoo, Jjanggu, and Juhyeonyeong to experience V Coloring. When calling Pengsoo, a message in Pengsoo's voice saying "Please wait a moment" and a video of Pengsoo appeared.

Not only people in their 30s and 40s who have memories of the 2000s but also people in their 20s who are enthusiastic about Y2K (2000s) style enjoy it. An SKT official said, "Whether they know about feature phones and MP3 players or not, they like it either way," adding, "Most visitors are in their 20s, and families visit to share parents' memories with their children." He also said, "Only last weekend, 700 to 800 people visited. There were so many visitors that some customers left without experiencing the zone."

KT Ad Shop Plus V Coloring Experience Zone
Photo by Oh Su-yeon

Next, we went to KT Ad Shop Plus. While T Factory recreated the Hongdae streets of the 2000s, KT Ad Shop Plus features a Newtro (a trend of enjoying retro in a new way) concept that reinterprets the 2000s sensibility. On the bed in the photo zone shaped like a 2000s girl's room, there is a feature phone and the teenage magazine 'MRK,' featuring the singer 'Dong Bang Shin Ki,' who debuted in 2003. Although the magazine has long been discontinued, KT employees procured it from a traditional market to evoke the 2000s atmosphere.

We experienced Coloring and V Coloring. When calling with the 'Jewelry Phone' released in 2007, the Coloring of singer Cherry Filter's 'Romantic Cat' played. When calling with the Galaxy S23, the music video V Coloring of the girl group IVE was shown, allowing us to feel the changes in technology and trends. A KT official said, "Recently, retro and Newtro have been gaining popularity. We hope people feel nostalgia for the 2000s while experiencing V Coloring and increase awareness of the service."