Goldstar Co., Ltd. produces the first automatic telephone in Korea

On July 18, 1961, GoldStar Co., Ltd., the predecessor of LG Electronics, introduced South Korea's first domestically manufactured automatic telephone, known as GoldStar No. 1 (Geumseong No. 1). Established by entrepreneur Koo In-hwoi in 1958, GoldStar had already pioneered domestic radio and electric fan production. The introduction of the automatic telephone marked the company's expansion into telecommunications equipment and represented a major achievement in South Korea's developing electronics industry. At a time when the country's telephone market depended heavily on imported equipment, the locally manufactured telephone demonstrated GoldStar's growing technical expertise and ability to produce communication devices domestically. The development of GoldStar No. 1 marked an important milestone in South Korea's telecommunications modernization. Before its commercial introduction, the telephone underwent government testing, with contemporary reports praising its performance and call quality compared with established foreign products. Its production demonstrated the country's increasing technological capabilities and supported efforts to expand domestic telecommunications infrastructure. GoldStar subsequently advanced its telecommunications business, manufacturing South Korea's first EMD-type automatic telephone exchange equipment in September 1964. These early achievements helped establish the technological foundation for the company's expansion into electronic communications and contributed to its transformation into LG Electronics in 1995