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Short abstract:

This study associates the authority of Korean switchboard operators of the 20th century with the poor material condition of the telephone infrastructure at the time.

Long abstract:

Before mechanization, telephone switching operation was the job of young unmarried women. In the United States, the Bell Company commercialized the operators’ gendered traits of obedience, discretion, and patience for its male customers. Existing literature has examined how the Bell Company trained its early operators to serve as ‘quasi-secretaries’ or ‘quasi-maids,’ and in the 20th century, as standardized woman-machines. On the other hand, this study explores the hidden authority and skill of female operators in post-war Korea. Although Korea was - and still is - a strong patriarchal society with low female status, and the Ministry of Postal Service instructed the female operators to be submissive, many operators were unkind and sometimes scolded the callers. We associate this phenomenon with the material condition of the Korean telephone system at the time. According to actor-network theory, nonhuman technology does not passively transport action as 'intermediaries', but rather modify relations between actors as 'mediators'. During the Korean War of 1950-1953, 80% of all telecommunications infrastructure was destroyed, and for many decades afterward, equipment shortage and breakdown were prevalent. Calls were often delayed or misdirected, and users always had to wait for a long time to be connected. In this sociotechnical system, the female operators in Korea could exercise considerable power. They privileged or disadvantaged certain users, accepted bribes, and eavesdropped on the callers. This study will show that the social function of technology is never monolithic, and that the specificities of technology can transform human agency and even overturn gender norms.