Privacy Policy

This is a translation of the Korean original. If there is any difference, the Korean version prevails.

Smilestory Co., Ltd. (the “Company”) operates the online newspaper The Korean Today (코리안투데이). In accordance with Article 30 of the Personal Information Protection Act (개인정보 보호법), the Company establishes this Privacy Policy to protect users’ personal information and to handle related complaints promptly.

Article 1 (Purposes of Processing Personal Information)

The Company processes personal information only for the purposes below, and will obtain your consent in advance if the purposes change.

1. Membership registration and management: identity verification, provision of member-only services, prevention of misuse, delivery of notices
2. Review of applications for the reporter corps, ambassadors, correspondents and branch heads: verifying eligibility, assigning branches, guiding activities
3. Processing of donations: payment of donations, payment confirmation, sending of receipts
4. Newsletter delivery: sent only to members who have agreed to receive it
5. Handling of error reports and feedback: reproducing site errors, replying
6. Service improvement and security: analysis of access logs, response to failures and hacking

Article 2 (Items of Personal Information Processed)

The Company does not collect resident registration numbers.

Article 3 (Retention Period and Destruction)

1. Member information: Retained until you withdraw your membership, and destroyed without delay upon withdrawal.
2. Reporter corps and other application forms: Retained until the review and your activities have ended; if you are not selected, destroyed after 3 months.
3. Information retained under laws and regulations
   • Payment and donation records: 5 years (Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, etc. (전자상거래 등에서의 소비자보호에 관한 법률))
   • Access records (IP address, etc.): 3 months (Communications Secrecy Protection Act (통신비밀보호법))
4. Error report materials: Destroyed 1 year after handling is completed.
5. Method of destruction: Electronic files are erased in a way that makes recovery impossible, and paper documents are shredded or incinerated.

Article 4 (Provision to Third Parties)

The Company does not provide users’ personal information to third parties. The exceptions are cases where the user has consented, or where an investigative agency or similar body requests it on the basis of law.

Article 5 (Entrustment of Processing and Overseas Transfer)

Overseas transfers take place over the network when you use the service. If you do not wish to have information transferred, other than for server operation, you may simply refrain from using the relevant feature (card payment of donations, translation, error reporting, social login); in that case, the feature will not be available to you.

Article 6 (Users’ Rights and How to Exercise Them)

Users may at any time request access to, correction of, deletion of, suspension of processing of, or withdrawal of consent for their personal information.

• You can edit your information or withdraw your membership yourself on My Page.
• You may also make a request to the Chief Privacy Officer below by email or telephone.

The Company will process your request within 10 days of receiving it. Requests may also be made through a legal representative or an authorized agent.

Article 7 (Children Under 14)

1. Children under 14 may apply only as Junior Reporters, with the consent of a guardian (legal representative). For all other membership categories, only persons aged 14 or older may register.
2. The Company collects only the minimum information needed to confirm guardian consent (the guardian’s name, relationship and contact information), and confirms the guardian’s consent by telephone before approval.
3. A guardian may request access to, correction of, or deletion of the child’s personal information, or withdraw consent.

Article 8 (Use of Cookies)

1. The Company uses cookies and browser storage to keep you logged in and to remember your display mode (light or dark).
2. The Company does not use cookies for advertising or behavioral tracking.
3. You can refuse cookies in your browser settings, but if you do, you may not stay logged in.

Article 9 (Security Measures)

• Encrypted storage of passwords and secure connections (HTTPS)
• Minimization of administrator access rights and retention of access logs
• Application of security updates and intrusion prevention
• Training for personnel who handle personal information

Article 10 (Chief Privacy Officer)

Article 11 (Remedies for Infringement of Rights)

If you need counseling or relief for damage caused by an infringement of personal information, you may contact the organizations below.

Article 12 (Changes to This Policy)

This policy takes effect on October 20, 2026. If its content changes, we will give notice through a site announcement 7 days before the change takes effect, and 30 days before if the change significantly affects users’ rights.