Privacy Policy
Updated
This policy explains what information Seoul Palette (seoulpalette.net) collects when you read the site or email us, what we use it for, and how long it is kept. We collect as little as we can. You do not need an account to read anything on this site, and we do not sell personal information.
Effective date: October 4, 2026 (version 1.0). The advertising changes in version 2.0, posted on October 11, 2026, take effect on the day we start loading Google’s advertising code, which will be no earlier than 30 days after they were posted (November 10, 2026). The Google Analytics changes in version 3.0, posted on October 15, 2026, take effect on the day we turn on Google Analytics, which will be no earlier than 30 days after they were posted (November 14, 2026). Until that day, Seoul Palette does not use Google Analytics. The changes in version 4.0 that load Google’s advertising code on pages other than article pages, posted on October 31, 2026, take effect on the day we start loading that code, which will be no earlier than 30 days after they were posted (November 30, 2026). Until that day, Google’s advertising code is not loaded on any page of this site. The changes in version 4.0 that add embedded YouTube videos, posted on October 31, 2026, take effect on the day we turn on embedded videos, which will be no earlier than 30 days after they were posted (November 30, 2026). Until that day, no YouTube video player is shown on this site.
Who is responsible
Seoul Palette is operated by One&Crew. For any question about this policy or your information, email hello@seoulpalette.net.
Privacy contact: the Seoul Palette editorial team, hello@seoulpalette.net
What we collect
When you read the site
- Technical request data. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, receives basic technical data each time your browser loads a page: your IP address, the page requested, the time, your browser type, and the site you came from (the referrer). This is needed to deliver the page and to protect the site from attacks.
- Visit statistics. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to count page views. It records the page you visited, the site you came from, your country, and your device and browser type, and it measures how fast pages load. We see these only as totals, such as “how many visits this article had.” We do not use this information to identify you.
- Google Analytics data (from the day we turn on Google Analytics). On every page of the site except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page, your browser also sends information to Google Analytics: the full address of each page you view, including any tracking codes in the link; the page or site you came from; links to other websites that you click; how far you scroll; your browser, device, and operating system; and your approximate location (country, region, and city), which Google works out from your IP address. Google Analytics stores a random ID in a cookie so it can tell a returning browser from a new one. See Analytics.
- Advertising data (from the day we start loading Google’s advertising code). On every page of the site except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page, your browser also sends information to Google, our advertising provider, even on pages that show no ads: your IP address, the page you are viewing, and your browser and device type. Google and other advertising companies may place and read cookies in your browser and may use web beacons (small pieces of code that record that a page or ad was viewed). See Advertising and advertising cookies.
- Embedded video data (from the day we turn on embedded videos). Some article pages show one of our own YouTube Shorts as a picture with a play button. The picture is stored on our own site, so showing it sends nothing to YouTube. Only if you press play does your browser load the YouTube video player and send information to Google (YouTube): your IP address, your browser and device type, which video you chose, and the address of our site or of the page you are reading. See Embedded YouTube videos.
When you email us
- Your email address, your name if you include it, and whatever you write in your message.
What we do not collect
- We have no accounts, sign-ups, comments, newsletter, or payments on this site, so we do not collect passwords, payment details, or postal addresses.
- We do not knowingly collect information from children.
Why we use it
- To deliver and protect the site: technical request data.
- To understand which articles are useful and which pages load slowly, so we can improve and update them: visit statistics.
- To see how readers find our articles and what they do next — which social media posts, links, and searches bring readers to which articles, and which official links readers follow (from the day we turn on Google Analytics): Google Analytics data.
- To answer you and fix mistakes you report: your email.
- To pay for running the site by showing ads on article pages (from the day we start loading Google’s advertising code): advertising data, handled by Google as described below.
- To play our own videos on the articles they belong to, when you choose to play them (from the day we turn on embedded videos): embedded video data, handled by Google as described under Embedded YouTube videos.
We do not build advertising profiles ourselves, and we do not sell or rent your information to anyone. From the day we start loading Google’s advertising code, Google may use advertising data to show personalized ads unless you turn them off, as explained under Advertising and advertising cookies.
How long we keep it
- Visit statistics: kept by Cloudflare Web Analytics under its own retention rules. Cloudflare keeps detailed visit data for 7 days and then keeps only a reduced summary, which can be viewed for up to 6 months. We keep only totals (numbers of visits per page, country, or device) in our own reports, with no information that identifies a person.
- Google Analytics data (from the day we turn on Google Analytics): Google Analytics keeps data linked to a cookie ID for 14 months and then deletes it automatically. Totals in reports, such as the number of visits to an article, are not deleted. In our own reports we keep only totals, with no information that identifies a person.
- Technical request data: kept by Cloudflare under its own retention rules as described in the Cloudflare Privacy Policy. We do not keep separate copies.
- Emails: kept for 12 months after our last reply, then deleted (it can take longer for Google to fully remove data from its backup systems), unless we need to keep a message longer to resolve a copyright or legal question.
- Embedded video data (from the day we turn on embedded videos): kept by Google under its own retention rules, as described in the Google Privacy Policy. Seoul Palette does not receive this data and keeps no copies.
How we delete it
When we no longer need information, we delete it without delay. For emails, that is 12 months after our last reply, unless we need a message to resolve a copyright or legal question, in which case we delete it as soon as that question is settled.
How we do it: we delete the email from our Gmail inbox. Gmail moves it to Trash and permanently deletes it from Trash after 30 days at the latest; after that it cannot be recovered. Cloudflare and Google delete the data they hold under the retention rules described above, and Google Analytics automatically deletes data linked to a cookie ID when our 14-month retention period for it ends.
No law requires us to keep the emails or statistics we hold, so we keep none of them for that reason.
Cookies
A cookie is a small file a website stores in your browser.
- Until the day we turn on Google Analytics, Seoul Palette sets no cookies of its own. We have no login, shopping cart, or preference settings that need them.
- From the day we turn on Google Analytics, the Google Analytics code on our pages sets two cookies on seoulpalette.net, unless you say no as explained under Analytics:
| Cookie | How long it lasts | What it does |
|---|---|---|
_ga |
2 years | Tells one browser apart from another, using a random ID |
_ga_<ID> |
2 years | Keeps track of your current visit |
Browsers may delete these cookies sooner if you don’t come back. Chrome keeps them for at most 400 days, and Safari for 7 days.
- Cloudflare Web Analytics does not use cookies. It does not store cookies or similar data (such as localStorage) in your browser to count visits.
Advertising cookies may be set or read by Google and other advertising companies on any page that loads Google’s advertising code, even when no ad is shown, starting on the day we begin loading it.
From the day we turn on embedded videos, pressing play on one of our videos loads the YouTube player, which is run by Google, not by us. Google may store information in your browser while you use the player. See Embedded YouTube videos.
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we will show you one consent message from Google that asks for your choice on both advertising and Google Analytics. It appears on pages that load Google’s advertising code, before personalized ads are shown and before Google Analytics sets its cookies. If you do not consent, Google Analytics does not set or read its cookies in your browser. You can change your choice at any time with the “Privacy and cookie settings” link at the bottom of every page except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page. Google’s consent message stores your choice in your browser.
Analytics
We use two analytics tools to understand how the site is used.
Cloudflare Web Analytics works without cookies and does not build a profile of you across websites. It does not record the full link you used to reach us (query strings), so extra tracking codes in links are not stored by Cloudflare Web Analytics.
Google Analytics (from the day we turn on Google Analytics) records the full address of each page you view, including the part after the “?” (query strings). This means tracking codes in links, such as the “utm_” codes we add to links we share on social media, are recorded. It also records the page or site you came from, links to other websites that you click, how far you scroll, your browser, device, and operating system, and your approximate location. Google Analytics receives your IP address, uses it to work out your approximate location, and does not log or store it. We do not send your name or email address to Google Analytics, and we use Google Analytics data only to understand how the site is used, not to show you ads. Google Analytics collects this information directly from your browser; it is received by Google LLC in the United States and processed in the countries listed for Google Analytics under Who else receives information. Google Analytics on this site does not record site searches, video plays, file downloads, or form use.
How to say no to Google Analytics:
- In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland: choose not to consent in Google’s consent message, or change your choice later with the “Privacy and cookie settings” link at the bottom of every page except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page.
- Anywhere: install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, which stops Google Analytics on every website you visit.
- Anywhere: block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Google Analytics then cannot recognize your browser on a later visit.
Browser extensions that block analytics will stop your visit from being counted. That does not affect how the site works.
We also use Google Search Console, which tells us how our pages appear in Google Search results, such as search terms and clicks, as totals. It does not place anything on this site or in your browser.
Advertising and advertising cookies
Seoul Palette will start loading Google AdSense code no earlier than November 30, 2026. From that day, the code runs on every page of the site except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page, and ads appear only on article pages. On a page with the code, Google may receive your IP address and the page address and may set or read cookies, even if no ad appears. Until that day, no advertising code is loaded, no ads are shown, and no advertising cookies are used on this site.
Ads help pay for running the site. From the day we start showing them, they will appear only on article pages, not on the home page, hub pages, or pages like this one.
From the day we start loading Google’s advertising code, Google, as a third-party advertising company, may use cookies on every page that loads it, and uses them to show ads on article pages. Google’s advertising cookies let it and its partners show you ads based on your visits to this site and to other websites. Google and other advertising companies may place and read cookies in your browser, and may use web beacons and your IP address, to show ads and to measure how ads perform. Google explains this in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
Other advertising companies may also show ads on this site through Google AdSense and use cookies in the same way. Google publishes a list of the advertising technology providers that can serve and measure ads through its services, with a link to each company’s own privacy information: Google’s list of advertising technology providers. You can turn off many of these companies’ personalized ads using the tools below.
How to turn off personalized ads:
- Google: Ad settings
- Many advertising companies, including Google: WebChoices from the Digital Advertising Alliance
- If you are in Europe: Your Online Choices
If you turn off personalized ads, you may still see ads, but they will not be based on your visits to other websites. Ads may still use general information such as your approximate location from your IP address and the page you are reading.
We also do not use paid (affiliate) links today. How the site is funded is explained on How we’re funded.
Embedded YouTube videos
From the day we turn on embedded videos, no earlier than November 30, 2026, some article pages include one of our own YouTube Shorts about the same topic. No other page has one.
Before you press play, the video box is only a picture stored on our own site and a play button. Showing it does not connect your browser to YouTube.
When you press play, your browser loads YouTube’s embedded video player in privacy-enhanced mode, from www.youtube-nocookie.com, and the video starts. From that moment, your browser sends information to Google LLC, which runs YouTube: your IP address, your browser and device type, which video you chose, and the address of our site or of the page you are reading. Google may also store information in your browser while you use the player. Seoul Palette does not receive this information.
Google says that in privacy-enhanced mode, watching a video is not used to personalize your YouTube browsing experience or to personalize ads shown to you outside this site, and that any ads shown on the video are not personalized.
The player is part of YouTube API Services. How Google uses the information it receives is explained in the Google Privacy Policy, and watching a video in the player is subject to the YouTube Terms of Service.
If your browser does not run JavaScript, you see a plain link to the video on youtube.com instead. If you follow that link, or a link in the player that takes you to YouTube, you leave this site, and YouTube’s own terms and privacy policy apply.
Your choices:
- You do not have to press play. If you don’t, the video box sends nothing to YouTube.
- You can read the whole article without the video.
Who else receives information
We use the service providers below to run the site, to receive your email, and, from the dates given, to show ads, to measure how the site is used, and to play our videos when you press play on them. All of them may handle your information outside Korea. We use Cloudflare and Gmail to deliver the pages you ask for and to answer the emails you send, so we disclose those details here instead of asking for separate consent. Legal basis under Korean law for these two: Personal Information Protection Act, Article 28-8(1)(iii) (entrusting processing and storage that is needed to provide the service you use). Google AdSense, Google Analytics, and the YouTube player are not needed to show you the site. You can turn off personalized ads at any time, as explained under Advertising and advertising cookies, say no to Google Analytics at any time, as explained under Analytics, and avoid the YouTube player by not pressing play, as explained under Embedded YouTube videos.
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Google LLC (Gmail) | Google LLC (AdSense advertising) | Google LLC (Google Analytics) | Google LLC (YouTube) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it does for us | Hosts the site and protects it from attacks; Cloudflare Web Analytics counts visits; Cloudflare Email Routing receives the emails you send to hello@seoulpalette.net and forwards them to our Gmail inbox | Stores the emails you send us so we can read and answer them | Shows ads on article pages and measures how they perform; its code runs on every page except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page, starting no earlier than November 30, 2026 | Measures how readers find and use the site, starting no earlier than November 14, 2026 | Plays our own YouTube videos in privacy-enhanced mode on the article pages where we have placed one, only after you press play, starting no earlier than November 30, 2026 |
| Information sent | Technical request data (IP address, page requested, time, browser type, referrer) and visit statistics, as described above; for emails, your email address, your name if you include it, and your message as they pass through | Your email address, your name if you include it, and your message | Your IP address, the page you are viewing, your browser and device type, and cookie and similar identifiers, as described under Advertising and advertising cookies | The full page address including query strings, the page or site you came from, links you click, how far you scroll, your browser, device, and operating system, your IP address (used to work out your approximate location, not stored), and the cookie ID, as described under Analytics | Your IP address, your browser and device type, which video you chose, and the address of our site or of the page you are reading, as described under Embedded YouTube videos |
| Where it goes | The United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, Germany, Portugal, France, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, India, Mexico, Malaysia, and Sweden (the countries Cloudflare lists for users in Korea: cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/southkorea-addendum). Cloudflare says it stores information mainly in the United States and the European Economic Area. | The United States, and other countries where Google operates data centers: Chile, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Google’s list as of October 2026: datacenters.google/locations) | The United States, and other countries where Google operates data centers: Chile, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Google’s list as of October 2026: datacenters.google/locations) | The United States, and other countries where Google operates data centers: Chile, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Google’s list as of October 2026: datacenters.google/locations) | The United States, and other countries where Google operates data centers: Chile, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom (Google’s list as of October 2026: datacenters.google/locations) |
| When and how | Over the internet, each time your browser requests a page or you send us an email | Over the internet, when you send us an email | Over the internet, each time your browser loads a page that includes Google’s advertising code (every page except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page), whether or not the page shows ads | Over the internet, on every page except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page, each time your browser loads the page or you click a link on it to another website | Over the internet, only when you press play on one of our videos, and while the video plays |
| How long it keeps it | Under Cloudflare’s own retention rules; for visit statistics, detailed data for 7 days, then a reduced summary for up to 6 months. Cloudflare says Email Routing does not store the emails it forwards. | 12 months after our last reply, then deleted (it can take longer for Google to fully remove data from its backup systems) | Under Google’s own retention rules, as described in the Google Privacy Policy | Data linked to a cookie ID: 14 months, then deleted automatically. Totals in reports are not deleted. | Under Google’s own retention rules, as described in the Google Privacy Policy |
| Contact | Data Protection Officer, Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA · dpo@cloudflare.com | Privacy team, Google LLC, Privacy Matters, c/o Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, USA · googlekrsupport@google.com | Privacy team, Google LLC, Privacy Matters, c/o Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, USA · googlekrsupport@google.com | Privacy team, Google LLC, Privacy Matters, c/o Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, USA · googlekrsupport@google.com | Privacy team, Google LLC, Privacy Matters, c/o Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, USA · googlekrsupport@google.com |
If you do not want this: for Cloudflare and Gmail there is no separate opt-out, because these services are needed to show you the page and to receive your email. You can decline by not using the site or by not emailing us. If you decline, we cannot show you the site or answer your message. For advertising, you can turn off personalized ads using the links under Advertising and advertising cookies, or block cookies in your browser; the site still works. For Google Analytics, you can say no in the ways listed under Analytics; the site still works. For embedded YouTube videos, do not press play; the article still works.
We may also disclose information if the law requires it. We do not share your information with anyone else.
How we protect information
We collect very little information, which is itself our main protection.
- How we handle it: in our own reports we keep only totals, with no information that identifies a person, and we delete emails as described under How we delete it.
- Technical protection: the site is served only over HTTPS, and requests made over plain HTTP are redirected to HTTPS. Cloudflare protects the site from attacks.
- Physical protection: the site and the emails you send us are held in the data centers of the service providers listed above, which protect them under their own security rules, as described in their privacy policies.
Your choices and rights
- You can read the whole site without an account and without giving us your name or email address.
- You can ask us what information we hold about you from your emails, and ask us to correct or delete it, by writing to hello@seoulpalette.net. We will respond within 10 days, as required by Korean law (or tell you if we need more time and why).
- You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site works without them. You can also say no to Google Analytics, as explained under Analytics.
Links to other websites
Our articles link to official sites and other sources. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how they handle your information.
Changes to this policy
When we change this policy, we update the date below and add a line to the change history. We post changes here at least 7 days before they take effect, or 30 days before for changes that reduce your rights or add new sharing (such as advertising cookies). Small fixes that do not affect your rights, such as a typo or a new contact address, take effect right away and are listed in the change history.
Last updated: October 31, 2026
| Version | Date | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | October 4, 2026 | First version |
| 2.0 | October 11, 2026 | Added advertising from Google AdSense on article pages: advertising cookies, web beacons and IP addresses, how to turn off personalized ads, and Google as a provider that receives information. Takes effect on the day we start showing ads, no earlier than 30 days after posting (November 10, 2026). |
| 3.0 | October 15, 2026 | Added Google Analytics on all pages: the _ga and _ga_<ID> cookies, what it records (including tracking codes in page addresses), one Google consent message for ads and analytics in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, how to say no, and Google as a provider that receives analytics data. Takes effect on the day we turn on Google Analytics, no earlier than 30 days after posting (November 14, 2026). |
| 4.0 | October 31, 2026 | Added how we delete information, how we protect it, and the countries where Cloudflare and Google receive information; stated what Google Analytics does not record. These changes take effect 7 days after posting. Added embedded YouTube videos on some article pages: the YouTube player loads in privacy-enhanced mode only after you press play, what your browser then sends to Google (YouTube), and Google (YouTube) as a provider that receives information. This change adds new sharing, so it takes effect on the day we turn on embedded videos, no earlier than 30 days after posting (November 30, 2026). Stated that Google’s advertising code will run on every page except this Privacy Policy and the 404 error page, not only on article pages, and that from the day that code is loaded, advertising data is sent and advertising cookies may be set or read, even on pages that show no ads; ads still appear only on article pages. This change adds new sharing, so it takes effect on the day we start loading that code, no earlier than 30 days after posting (November 30, 2026). |
| 4.1 | October 31, 2026 | Small fix: stated that Google Analytics, like Google’s advertising code, will not run on this Privacy Policy or the 404 error page, and that the “Privacy and cookie settings” link does not appear on those two pages. This does not affect your rights and takes effect right away. |
Questions about this policy: hello@seoulpalette.net. You can also read About Seoul Palette.