Editorial Policy

Who writes for HallyuMate

HallyuMate is run by two editors who keep their names private. Articles are bylined HallyuMate Editors.

The opinion columns run under pen names: Mina's Take (K-pop and K-drama) by Mina Park, Daniel's Bite (Korean food) by Daniel Oh. The pen names belong to our editors; the opinions under them are their own.

An editor approves every piece before it goes live and is accountable for it. Questions and corrections go to hello@hallyumate.com.

How we source stories

We publish what official sources confirm: agency and label statements, broadcasters and streamers, award bodies and organisers, and artists’ own websites and accounts. Those sources are linked in the text.

We follow Korean and international press to find stories and to cross-check them, but a claim we can find only in another outlet’s reporting is not published. We do not aggregate rumours.

How we fact-check

Names, dates, titles, chart positions and quotes are checked against a primary source before publication. Quotes translated from Korean are checked against the original-language source.

Where a fact could not be independently confirmed, we say that in the article rather than quietly rounding it into certainty.

Corrections

Every article, news story and reference page is checked and edited by an editor, by hand or with AI tools. When we find an error, we fix it; if an article got a fact wrong, it carries a dated correction note saying what changed.

If you have found an error, email hello@hallyumate.com with the page link and what you believe is wrong. We review every report and aim to respond within two business days.

Drama and group pages

Drama and group pages are compiled by HallyuMate Editors from TMDB, Wikipedia, broadcasters, streamers and agencies. AI tools help us gather the data and draft the text; our editors fact-check it, edit the page and approve what is published. Pages open to search are rechecked against their sources on a schedule; when something changes or turns out to be wrong, we fix the page.

Where to watch comes from JustWatch via TMDB and varies by region.

Verdicts and scores

The verdict and its scores on a drama page are our editors' opinion. We form it from critics' and viewers' reviews, ratings on public platforms, broadcast ratings and our own judgement; the scores are not taken from any one site.

The star rating is a public user score from rating platforms, not our own.

How we use AI

We use AI tools in our work, and we would rather tell you exactly how than leave you guessing.

AI tools help us research a story and write a first draft from the sources an editor selects. Our editors fact-check every draft against those sources, edit it and approve it before publication — nothing on the site is published automatically.

We do not use AI to invent quotes, sources or facts, and every factual claim names its source. We link official sources — agencies, broadcasters, streamers and artists’ own channels.

Article cover images may be generated with AI. They illustrate the topic and never depict a real person.

Independence and affiliations

HallyuMate is an independent outlet with no ownership ties to any agency, label, broadcaster, or streaming service. No company reviews our coverage before publication.

Some pages may contain affiliate links, which can earn us a commission. They never influence our editorial judgement and are always marked as such.