Privacy Policy

Your Privacy at KimchiGuide

KimchiGuide.com (“we”, “our”, “the site”) is operated by Ji-Young Park, based in London, United Kingdom. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect information from visitors to kimchiguide.com.

We are committed to being transparent about our data practices. We do not sell your personal data. We do not share your personal data with third parties for their marketing purposes. We collect only what we need to operate the site effectively.

What Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of data from visitors:

Automatically Collected Data

• IP address (anonymised where possible)
• Browser type and version
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website (how you arrived at KimchiGuide)
• Country and approximate region (not precise location)
• Date and time of visit

Data You Provide Voluntarily

• Name and email address — when you submit a comment on an article
• Name and email address — when you contact us via the contact form
• Message content — when you contact us via the contact form
• Email address — if you subscribe to any email list we operate

How We Use Your Data

Data we collect is used only for the following purposes:

• To understand how visitors use the site and improve content accordingly
• To respond to comments and questions submitted through the site
• To send email communications if you have subscribed to our list
• To detect and prevent spam or fraudulent activity
• To comply with legal obligations where required

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling. We do not sell your data to any third party. We do not use your data for purposes beyond those listed above without first obtaining your explicit consent.

Cookies & Tracking Technologies

KimchiGuide.com uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — for the following purposes:

Essential Cookies

• Session cookies that keep you logged in if you have a site account
• Security cookies that help detect fraudulent activity
• Preference cookies that remember your site settings

Analytics Cookies

• We use Google Analytics to understand site traffic and user behaviour. Google Analytics sets cookies that collect anonymised data about pages visited, session duration, and traffic sources. This data is used solely to improve the site.
• You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Advertising Cookies

• If we display advertisements via Google AdSense or similar services, those providers may set cookies to serve relevant ads based on your browsing behaviour.
• You can manage advertising cookie preferences through your browser settings or via YourAdChoices.

Affiliate Cookies

• When you click an affiliate link (such as Amazon Associates links), the affiliate provider sets cookies to track referred purchases. These cookies are set by the third-party provider, not by KimchiGuide.

Third-Party Services We Use

KimchiGuide uses the following third-party services that may collect or process data. Each has its own privacy policy:

• Google Analytics — website traffic analytics. Google Privacy Policy
• Google AdSense — display advertising (if applicable). Google Privacy Policy
• WordPress / Hosting Provider — site platform and server hosting. Data stored on secured servers.
• Disqus / Comment System — if enabled, comments are processed by the comment provider. Their privacy policy applies to comment data.
• Mailchimp / Email Provider — if you subscribe to our email list, your email is stored by our email service provider. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email.
• Amazon Associates — affiliate programme. Amazon may set cookies when you click affiliate links. Amazon Privacy Policy

We do not control how these third-party services use data once it reaches them. We encourage you to review their privacy policies directly.

Affiliate Links & Commercial Relationships

KimchiGuide participates in the Amazon Associates affiliate programme. This means that some links to products on Amazon — such as kimchi jars, gochugaru, or fermentation equipment — include a tracking code that may earn us a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking the link.

This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not influence which products we recommend. All product recommendations on this site are based on genuine personal use and independent testing.

Affiliate links are not individually labelled on every mention, but our general disclosure on the Editorial Policy page covers all affiliate activity on this site in compliance with FTC guidelines and UK ASA requirements.

How We Store & Protect Your Data

Data collected by KimchiGuide is stored on secured servers provided by our hosting provider. We take the following measures to protect your data:

• The site is served over HTTPS (SSL/TLS encryption) at all times
• Access to site data is restricted to authorised team members only
• We do not store payment information — all transactions are handled by third-party payment processors
• Comment and contact form data is retained only as long as necessary to respond to enquiries
• Analytics data is retained in anonymised form as per Google Analytics default retention settings

Despite our security measures, no internet transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of data transmitted to or from the site.

Data Retention

• Contact form messages — retained for up to 12 months, then deleted
• Comment data — retained as long as the comment is published on the site
• Email list data — retained until you unsubscribe
• Analytics data — retained per Google Analytics settings (default 26 months)

Your Data Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights under applicable data protection law (including GDPR for UK/EU visitors and CCPA for California residents). These rights include:

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@kimchiguide.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

Children’s Privacy

KimchiGuide is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal data to this site, please contact us at privacy@kimchiguide.com and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Significant changes will be noted with a brief summary of what changed.

Continued use of KimchiGuide.com after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. If you disagree with the updated policy, please discontinue use of the site.

Privacy Enquiries