In the 1990s, a Korean wedding favor could be a telephone card

Before smartphones, some Korean couples ordered customized payphone cards with their names or wedding message and handed them to guests as a practical keepsake.

WHY A PHONE CARD?

Public phones were everyday infrastructure before mobile phones became universal, so the gift could actually be used.

CUSTOM WEDDING DESIGNS EXISTED

The Seoul Urban Life Museum preserves wedding commemorative cards made in 1997 and 1999.

POPULAR AFTER THE IMF CRISIS

The museum notes that such cards became especially common as an inexpensive but memorable return gift after the financial crisis.

Sources & context

2026-09-18

museum.seoul.go.kr ↗