(Note: Most of the content on our blog and site has been deleted. Please direct your inquiries or requests for archived articles to [email protected].)
Dear friends and readers,
Since our launch on March 27, 2013, our mission has been simple: report the news and deliver analysis in a timely, intelligent, and objective manner. In a digital world overrun with desperate clickbait, salacious gossip, and rampant speculation, objectivity and contextualization are now more important than ever.
Our passion and drive as creative K-pop obsessives has been constantly on display, from our hard news to our opinion pieces. We have relied on the energy, creativity, analytical chops, and unfettering focus of our dedicated staff to deliver the careful think pieces and reviews that have become the defining characteristic of our brand.
Weâve attempted to solve the most pressing problems of K-Pop media, to prioritize the important over the new, to clarify instead of crowding your screens. Weâve worked with industry experts to weave together words, fresh perspectives, graphics, data visualizations and photographs to create deeper understandings of the K-pop industry. Above all, weâve arguably become a bastion of genuine K-pop journalism.
Thatâs why it pains us to inform you that after two years, K-Pop One will close.
In the beginning few months, many of you asked this fundamental question: With such a competitive environment already packed with dozens of news sites such as Soompi, allkpop, and K-Pop Starz, what is the point of reading your publication?
We replied: Weâre here to fix the mess theyâve caused. Weâre here to inform you, to disrupt the media landscape, to raise the bar and become a true reflection of what K-pop news should be.
We backed that statement up by instituting a no-gossip policy and limited our definition of ânewsâ to what actually happened, not âwhat might have happenedâ or âwhat we think happened.â We crunched numbers and did background research on the K-pop industry to find out where the Hallyu wave would head next. Through quality longform pieces and concise reporting, we dove deep into subjects other sites wouldnât touch, tossed aside scandal and speculation, and told the stories of real people.
In the end though, our efforts have not been enough to prevent our closure, and we come to the realization that some things are worth cherishing precisely because they are finite.
The problem with most self-identified ânewsâ sites â such as allkpop or Koreaboo â is that they have a profit incentive and an inherent responsibility to generate page views in order to gain financial revenue through selling ads, which leads to capitalization on pain, questionable sources, baseless rumors, and tarnished reputations.
K-Pop One is a non-profit news source composed of student volunteers. As we move on to our college years, we simply do not have the time as well as the financial and physical resources necessary to continue or compete with establishment sites.
Currently, we are negotiating terms for a handover to another party, so there may still be a future for the brand. However, at this point, we have decided to cease our regular operationsÂ
Itâs been an incredible whirlwind, and we would like to thank the thousands of readers, partners and friends that we have met along the way. Without your involvement and enthusiasm, we would never have held out for this long.
You were there with us in times of celebration and sadness, of passion and peril. Together, we regularly criticized extremist sasaeng fans for their ridiculous behavior, went to KCON and covered countless concerts, experienced the marriage of Brown Eyed Girls member Ga In and actor Joo Ji Hoon, raged against the moronic netizens who bashed SNSDâs Taeyeon and EXOâs Baekyun, and analyzed the legal âKrisisâ as former EXO members Kris and Luhan fought with SM Entertainment to nullify their contracts.
Together, we saw the rise of Psy and K-pop in America, explained why drug smuggling accusations against 2NE1âs Park Bom were likely false, documented the firestorm around ZE:A member Lee Hoo as he took a stand for better contract terms, cried as SNSDâs Jessica Jung was ousted for her independent businesses activities, sifted through lengthy abuse allegations against Kim Hyun Joong, and mourned the deaths of Ladiesâ Code members Go Eun-Bi and Kwon Ri-sae.
Together, we endured moments of pain, fought against injustice and championed the rights of trainees and idols in a way no other K-pop news source did. Remember slave contracts and endless lawsuits? Remember the hate campaigns launched against newly-announced couples? And that time allkpop published nude photos of Ailee, claiming that they were âreportingâ an exclusive story rather than degrading a talented human being?
Together, we fought for gender equality and higher pay for stars, exposed brutal realities and made the case for K-popâs place in the world that actually mattered. We lived through history with a raw intensity, and through a constantly degrading media landscape of bewildering change.
You were there when we started out as a Facebook page, and in just two years, you built a brand with a reach of millions and thousands of subscribers. You made us a unique source for accuracy in the media world â and we were able to avoid the sirens of clickbait. We will never forget that.
We want to thank you for your honesty and wisdom, and we are grateful for every moment youâve spent with us. In many instances, you became not just readers, but active participants, writers, and contributors. You trusted us, and in turn, we tried hard to deliver.
Unfortunately, we lost the battle â but you can still win the war.Â
It has been the greatest privilege of our careers to serve you. With heavy hearts and tears in our eyes, we must say farewell.
