Like the Nostalgic Sound of a Modem... PC Communication 'Cheollian' Ends Connection After 39 Years

Korea's First PC Communication Service 'Cheollian'
Service Ends on the 31st

'Cheollian,' which started as the first PC communication service in Korea, is disappearing into history after about 39 years. Cheollian, which first launched its service in 1985, will completely end its service on the 31st.

Cheollian stated, "The Cheollian service will be terminated on October 31," adding, "We regret to deliver this unfortunate news and sincerely apologize, asking for our customers' generous understanding."

Screenshot of the Cheollian homepage announcing the service termination

Cheollian, along with Hitel and NowNuri, led the domestic PC communication market as the three major PC communication providers from the 1990s to the early 2000s. Although it was once a three-way competition, Hitel ended its service in 2007, and NowNuri followed in 2012. Only Cheollian barely maintained its presence, but with the complete termination of its service, all three major services that once led the domestic PC communication market have now disappeared into history.

In particular, Cheollian was loved for its club functions. In 1994, the number of paid users exceeded 200,000, establishing itself as a leader in the PC communication market. By 1997, it boasted great popularity with over 1 million subscribers.

[Image source=Cheollian official website]

However, due to the nature of PC communication using telephone lines, users could not receive phone calls while using the service, and fees were charged based on usage time. As a result, users sometimes faced "bill shocks." To prevent "bill shocks," abbreviations were used, giving rise to words such as "banggabanga" (hello), "jungding" (middle school student), and "damtaeng" (homeroom teacher).

Meanwhile, PC communication is a technology that supports communication between PCs using telephone internet. It was developed in the United States in the 1970s and began full-scale service in Korea in the mid-1980s. PC communication enjoyed its golden age until the 1990s, but with the activation of high-speed internet in the 2000s, the number of users sharply declined.