Effective date: October 27, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information WHY KOREANS ARE (whykoreansare.com, “the site”, “we”, “I”) collects, why, who it is shared with, and the choices you have.
The site is run by Hyunmo Koo from South Korea. We handle personal information in line with the Personal Information Protection Act of Korea and, where it applies to you, other privacy laws such as the EU and UK GDPR. You can contact us at any time through the Contact page.
Information we collect
- Information you send us. If you email us or use a contact address, we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message. We use it only to respond and to improve the site.
- Technical information collected automatically. Like nearly all websites, the site and its hosting provider receive technical data such as your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, referring page, pages viewed and time of visit. This is used to deliver the site, keep it secure and understand how it is used.
- Cookies and similar technologies. These are small files or identifiers stored on your device. See below.
We do not ask visitors to create accounts, we do not sell personal information, and we do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information.
Analytics (Google Analytics via Site Kit by Google)
The site uses Site Kit by Google to connect Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Google Analytics uses cookies or similar identifiers to measure traffic: which pages are read, roughly where visitors come from (country or city level, derived from IP address), what device and browser they use, and how they arrived. We use these reports in aggregate to decide what to write and to improve the site. Google acts as a processor for this analytics data. You can prevent Google Analytics from measuring your visits by using Google’s browser add-on or by blocking cookies in your browser.
Advertising (Google AdSense) and third-party cookies
The site is set up for advertising served by Google AdSense, and the Google advertising code may be loaded on pages of this site. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies, such as the DoubleClick cookie, enables Google and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
Other third-party advertising vendors or ad networks that participate in Google’s ad services may also place or read cookies in your browser, or use similar technologies such as web beacons, to serve and measure ads. We do not control these third-party cookies and we do not have access to them.
Your advertising choices:
- You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings.
- You can opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info.
- You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Doing so does not stop ads from appearing; ads may simply be less relevant.
To learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services and Google’s Privacy Policy.
Visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Where the law requires consent for non-essential cookies or personalised advertising, we will use them only after you have given consent through a consent message, and you can change your choice at any time through that message or your browser settings.
Newsletter and external links
We link to external websites, including Substack, where we publish a newsletter. If you subscribe on Substack, Substack processes your email address under its own privacy policy, and we receive subscriber information through that service. Links to other websites are provided for your convenience; we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites.
Comments
The site is not designed for public discussion. If comment features are enabled on any page, the information you enter (including name, email address and IP address) is stored so the comment can be displayed and moderated.
How we use information
We use information to operate, secure and maintain the site; to understand which content is useful; to show advertising that supports the site; to respond to messages; and to comply with legal obligations. Where GDPR applies, our legal bases are our legitimate interest in running and improving the site, your consent (for non-essential cookies and personalised advertising where required) and, for replies to your messages, taking steps at your request.
Sharing and international transfers
We share information only with service providers that help run the site, namely our hosting provider (Hostinger), Google (analytics, search and advertising services) and Substack (newsletter), and with authorities where the law requires. These providers may process data in countries outside your own, including outside Korea, the EEA and the UK. We do not sell your personal information.
Retention
Server logs and analytics data are kept by those providers for the periods set in their own settings and policies. Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to respond and for reasonable record-keeping, and are then deleted.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to ask us to access, correct, delete or restrict the use of personal information we hold about you, to object to certain processing, to withdraw consent, and to complain to a data protection authority (in Korea, the Personal Information Protection Commission). To make a request, contact us through the Contact page. We will respond within a reasonable time and as required by applicable law.
Children
This site is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under 14. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Security
We rely on our hosting provider’s security measures and keep the site’s software updated. No internet transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site, its services or legal requirements change. The effective date above shows when it was last revised, and material changes will be posted on this page.
Contact
Questions about this policy can be sent through the Contact page. See also our Terms of Use and Disclaimer.