Wikipedia:WikiProject Korea/Reliable sources
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This is a list of Korea-related sources and community verdicts on whether they are reliable. Sources deemed unreliable on here should generally not be used.
See also Wikipedia:Reliable sources for site-wide guidelines and Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources for a site-wide list.
Search engine
- Reliable Korean Sources Search Engine – a Google Programmable Search Engine that helps limit search results to those published by well-established reliable sources from Korea and about Korea.
Aggregators
News aggregators
If you use articles republished by news aggregators like Naver News and Daum News, you should specify in the ref both the original newspaper that published the article and the news aggregator, like so: {{Cite news |newspaper=[[Pressian]] |via=[[Naver News]] |url=...
While news aggregators aren't necessarily inherently reliable or unreliable, some of the sources they republish may be unreliable per our standards. For example, Naver News's source list includes OhmyNews. Especially for contentious topics, you should scrutinize the underlying source.
Newspaper archives
There are a number of newspaper archives of Korean and Japanese newspapers that are available for free. Consider these to be news aggregators and cite them in the style given above.
- Naver News Library – 1920 to 1999 issues of The Dong-A Ilbo, The Chosun Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun, The Hankyoreh, The Korea Economic Daily. You can link directly to individual articles or images.
- Korean Newspaper Archive (about) – 1883 to 1966 issues of various historic newspapers published in Korea.
Note that many pre-1977 images in these newspapers are copyright free.
Dictionary aggregators
Similar to above, references to dictionary aggregators like Naver Dictionary should mention the underlying dictionary being cited. {{Cite encyclopedia |dictionary=[[Standard Korean Language Dictionary]] |via=[[Naver Dictionary]] |url=...
Note that some works indexed by Naver Dictionary are unreliable, such as Wiktionary, Urban Dictionary, and Open Dictionary PRO, as they take user-submitted contributions.
Scholarly literature
There are a number of South Korean academic journal repositories, including:
- DBpia
- Koreanstudies Information Service System (KISS)
- National Assembly Library
- Research Information Sharing Service (RISS)
These platforms can help find articles that Google Scholar does not index. Some articles are paywalled in third-party services, but can be accessed for free on the journal's website. Many journals provide English-language abstracts, but they are often written by people who do not have a good grasp of English, and should be avoided.
Legend
This legend is based off of WP:RS/P#Legend; see there for further details. We avoid classifying sources as deprecated and blacklisted ourselves, as we feel those decisions are better handled at the site-level, but we will still display if those sources have received those labels at a site-level.
Sources
| Source | Status (legend) | Discussions | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| List | Summary | |||
| Allkpop WP:ALLKPOP 
|
|
2012
2012 2012 2014 2014 2017 2024 |
English-language celebrity gossip-based site which publishes rumors and conjecture in addition to accurately reported facts. Discussions have consistently concluded that the site is unreliable and especially inappropriate for WP:BLP. | 1  
|
| Asia Today | 
|
2014 | Newspaper, broad coverage.
Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese. |
1
|
| Asian Junkie |
|
2021 | English-language website focused on Asian entertainment gossip. | 1
|
AsianWiki
|
|
2018 | English-language TV series and film database. Appears to be user generated. | — |
| Billboard |
|
American magazine; relevant for music charts. Reliable per WP:BILLBOARDCHARTS. | 1
| |
| BizTribune |
|
2018 | Korean-language business news site. | 1
|
| Blogger |
|
Site that hosts user-generated content. Unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1 2
| |
Britannica Korea (defunct)
|
|
Korean-language edition of the Britannica encyclopedia. URLs no longer resolve to previous content. Archival bot(s) have been requested to update existing refs. See WP:BRITANNICA. | 1
| |
| Brunch Story |
|
2024 | Korean-language site hosting user-generated content, similar to Medium. Unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| Busan Ilbo |
|
Korean-language regional news for Busan and national news, broad coverage. | 1
| |
| Center for Historical Truth and Justice |
|
2025 | Korean-language research center, focused mainly on the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period and the issue of Korean collaborators with Imperial Japan. Publisher of the infamous Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators. While two Wikipedia editors do not know of any issues with the rigor of the center's research, the organization is highly controversial and writes with a clear mission statement to portray the colonial period negatively. If opinions are cited from this organization, they should be attributed inline. | 1
|
Channel Korea (defunct)
|
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| The Chosun Ilbo (general topics) |
|
2024
2024 |
Newspaper of record, broad coverage. Be mindful of political and North Korea related coverage. Otherwise considered reliable. Some English-language ChosunBiz articles use apparently unvetted machine translation; consider those unreliable.
Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese. |
1 2
|
| The Chosun Ilbo (politics or North Korea related) |
|
2024 | Be mindful of political coverage. The newspaper's coverage of North Korea has had accuracy issues in the past. The newspaper is considered strongly right-leaning.
Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese. |
|
| CHZZK |
|
2024 | Livestreaming website, unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| Cine21 |
|
Korean-language film magazine. | 1
| |
| Circle Chart |
|
2014
2015 2016 |
Music charts. Previously called "Gaon Chart". Reliable per WP:GOODCHARTS.
Available in Korean, English. |
1 2
|
Dailian
|
|
2025 | Korean-language citizen journalism site. Website often sources information from internet forums and has had publicized disputes over it publishing misinformation. | 1
|
Daily KPOP News (defunct)
|
|
2014 | English-language third-party news site which reports relevant K-pop news, mostly from other news sources. Possibly needs more discussion, although now defunct. | 1
|
| Daum Blog WP:DAUMBLOG
|
|
2024 | Blog hosting site, unreliable per WP:UGC. Defunct in 2022. | 1
|
| Daum Cafe |
|
2024 | Blog hosting site, unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| Ddanzi Ilbo |
|
2024 | Korean-language parody news site with no real editorial standards. | 1
|
| Dispatch |
|
2024 | Korean-language news site, mostly entertainment news but some broad coverage. It is considered to be sensationalist by both Wikipedia editors and by other news publications in South Korea. Several editors agreed that its reporting is probably mostly accurate, but that caution should be used with using it on WP:BLP. On BLP and for any extraordinary claims, use Dispatch in conjunction with other sources and use WP:INTEXT attributions when appropriate. | 1
|
| The Dong-A Ilbo |
|
2014
2024 |
Newspaper of record, broad coverage.
Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese. |
1
|
| Doosan Encyclopedia |
|
2014 | Korean-language private encyclopedia. Also called "Doopedia". | 1
|
| Egloos |
|
2024 | Blog hosting site, unreliable per WP:UGC. Defunct in 2023. | 1
|
| Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |
|
2024 | Korean-language encyclopedia by the government-backed Academy of Korean Studies. One of the most widely used Korean studies encyclopedias.
|
1
|
| Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture |
|
2024 | By the government-backed National Folk Museum of Korea. Focuses on past to present Korean culture.
Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Spanish. |
1
|
| Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture |
|
2024
2024 |
Over 200 Korean-language encyclopedias for various regions in South Korea, jointly made by the government-backed Academy of Korean Studies and local governments. Often a single subject can have separate entries in multiple encyclopedias; each entry may write from the perspective of their corresponding region. | 1
|
| Encyclopedia of Overseas Korean Culture |
|
2024 | Korean-language encyclopedia by the government-backed Academy of Korean Studies. Focuses on the Korean diaspora. | 1
|
| Gallup Korea |
|
2014 | South Korean branch of Gallup, Inc. | 1
|
Hallyure (defunct)
|
|
English-language self-published K-pop website. | 1
| |
| HanCinema |
|
2024 | English-language database and news about pop culture. | 1
|
| Hankook Ilbo |
|
2014 | Korean-language newspaper, broad coverage. | 1
|
| The Hankyoreh |
|
2014 | Newspaper, broad coverage.
Available in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese. |
1
|
| Hello K-pop |
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| History Net |
|
Various articles, documents, photos, ebooks, and videos on Korean history. By the government-backed National Institute of Korean History. Some of its content is for children and greatly simplified; avoid using this content.
Available in Korean and English. |
1
| |
| The Honey Pop |
|
2024 | English-language fan-edited site that focuses on news related to pop culture and opinions, lacking rigorous editorial standards. | 1
|
| HuffPost Korea |
|
Korean-language edition of the HuffPost. See WP:HUFFPOST | 1
| |
| Hwaiting.me |
|
2015 | Japanese-language K-pop fanblog. | 1
|
| Ilgan Sports |
|
Korean-language sports and entertainment newspaper. | 1
| |
Inki News (defunct)
|
|
2018 | Korean TV ratings translated to English. Needs discussion. | 1
|
| Instiz |
|
2025 | Internet forum, unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| IZM |
|
Korean-language music reviews and news. | 1
| |
Japako Music (defunct)
|
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion, although now defunct. | 1
| |
| Jeju Ilbo |
|
Korean-language newspaper for Jeju Province. Not to be confused with Samda Ilbo, which previously had a naming dispute with this newspaper. | 1
| |
J-pop Asia (defunct)
|
|
2015 | English-language J-pop fanblog. | 1
|
| K-Drama Stars |
|
2017 | English-language K-drama news website. Possibly needs more discussion; users expressed concern about it having clickbait. | 1
|
| K-pop Fans |
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| K-pop Map |
|
English-language K-pop and K-drama website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| K-pop Singers |
|
English-language K-pop profiles database. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| K-pop Source |
|
English-language K-pop discussion forum. | 1
| |
| K-pop Starz |
|
2014
2015 2017 2019 |
English-language K-pop website. There has been disagreement on its reliability. The website, at one point, listed names for a professional writing staff. Users have conflicted opinions on the reliability of the content. Some report to having no issues with crossreferencing facts, and others express concern about clickbaity writing. | 1
|
| K-popping |
|
2019 | English-language K-pop website. The database section is a fan run wiki open for anyone to edit. | 1
|
| K-Profiles |
|
2018 | English-language K-pop website. Some users were unsure of where it gets its information from and expressed doubts about its accuracy. | 1
|
| K-Star Live |
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| KakaoStory |
|
2024 | Social media website, unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| KBIZoom |
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| KBS World |
|
2014 | Part of the Korean Broadcasting System. Online, radio, and television news in multiple languages.
Available in Korean, English. |
1
|
| The Korea Economic Daily |
|
Business newspaper with some broad coverage. Also called "Hankyung".
Available in Korean, English. |
1 2
| |
| Korea Exposé |
|
2024 | English-language promotional blog created by content farm consultant company Mediasphere, seemingly to promote its AI model. | 1
|
| The Korea Herald |
|
Major English-language newspaper. Some articles in Korean. | 1
| |
| Korea Heritage Service (KHS, formerly Cultural Heritage Administration) |
|
South Korean government agency, often deals with heritage registers. Previously called "Cultural Heritage Administration".
Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese. |
1
| |
| Korea JoongAng Daily |
|
2014 | Major English-language newspaper, English edition of JoongAng Ilbo. | 1
|
| KOREA NOW |
|
2024 | English-language short form video news channel by Yonhap News Agency; see the entry for Yonhap News Agency below for additional considerations, which possibly also apply to KOREA NOW. One user expressed concern about sensationalism and reporting on gossip. | 1
|
| Korea Portal |
|
2018 | K-pop news and gossip site.
Available in English, Korean. |
1
|
| Korea Star Daily |
|
2018 | Chinese-language K-pop site. | 1
|
| The Korea Times |
|
2014 | Major English-language newspaper. Sister paper with Hankook Ilbo. Not to be confused with the America-based The Korea Times or its various local branches (different urls). These papers are also sisters to Hankook Ilbo. | 1
|
| Korea.com |
|
2015 | Korean-language news and opinions on the entertainment, technology, health, and beauty sectors. | 1
|
| Korea.net |
|
2014 | Web portal by the South Korean government (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). Mainly useful for news.
Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese. |
1
|
| Koreaboo |
|
2014
2024 |
English-language website focused on reporting the latest gossip and news related to K-Pop. | 1
|
| KMDB (Korean Movie Database) |
|
2024 | Database of Korea-related films. Also has articles, photos, and digitized films. No known indication that it is user-generated, unlike WP:IMDB.
Available in Korean, English. |
1
|
| Koreana |
|
2014 | Magazine by the Korea Foundation, an NGO affiliated with the South Korean government.
Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese. |
1
|
| Kpop Herald |
|
2014 | English-language pop culture arm of The Korea Herald. | 1
|
| Kpop Hit |
|
English-language K-pop website run by Facebook fan page. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| The Kookje Daily News |
|
2018 | Korean-language newspaper, broad coverage. | 1
|
The Kraze (defunct)
|
|
English-language K-pop fanblog and review site. Needs discussion, although now defunct. | 1
| |
Kuki News
|
|
Korean-language entertainment news, needs discussion. | 1
| |
| Kyunghyang Shinmun |
|
2025 | Korean-language major newspaper, broad coverage. | 1
|
| Maeil Business Newspaper (MBN, MK) |
|
2018
2024 2024 |
Broad coverage. Also called Maekyung or MK. Also has a sub paper called "Star News". Both are considered reliable.
Important: only the Korean-language articles are reliable. |
1
|
| Maeil Business Newspaper (machine translated to Chinese, English and Japanese) |
|
2018
2024 2024 |
Chinese-, English-, and Japanese-language articles on Maeil Business Newspaper have been automatically machine translated from Korean using Naver Papago. Unvetted machine translation is not reliable. | 1 2 3
|
| Maxim Korea |
|
Korean-language entertainment news, branch of Maxim. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) |
|
2025 | Korean-language broadcaster. While MBC is directly owned by the government of South Korea, two Wikipedians did not know of evidence that this has biased its coverage. It has published numerous major stories that unfavorably portray the government and major politicians. Regardless, exercise caution when using this source for coverage of the South Korean government. | 1
|
| Meaww |
|
English-language entertainment website. See WP:MEAWW. | 1
| |
| Media Today |
|
2024 | Korean-language weekly magazine on media criticism. The website has been cited by and is considered generally reliable by journalism organizations, but it has historically collided with other news media (notably The Chosun Ilbo); be cautious about using this source for criticism of other organizations. | 1
|
| Monday News |
|
2025 | Unclear credentials and editorial policy. Scandal in 2018 with fact checking. Needs more research and discussion. | 1
|
| Monthly Chosun |
|
2014
2024 |
Korean-language history and current affairs magazine, sister to The Chosun Ilbo. Two users have agreed that, while the site is generally high or even academic quality (especially for its coverage of Korean history, and has broke a number of major investigative journalism stories), it is probably biased right-wing for its reporting on current affairs. Be wary of writings from Cho Gab-je in particular. It has had a number of scandals relating to the accuracy or independence of its coverage, including a bribery scandal in the mid-2000s. | 1
|
| Munhwa Ilbo |
|
2024 | Korean-language newspaper, broad coverage. Its reliability is debated, with one user advocating for considering it unreliable. It has been involved in a number of scandals, including a bribery scandal related to Samsung in 2017. Avoid using the source for coverage of Samsung or its competitors. | 1
|
| My Daily |
|
Korean-language entertainment news, needs discussion. | 1
| |
MyDramaList
|
|
2018 | English-language TV series and film database. Allegedly user-generated. | — |
| Namuwiki WP:NAMUWIKI
|
|
2025 | Korean-language wiki, unreliable per WP:UGC. Its reputation for rigor and correctness is extremely poor. | 1
|
| Nate Pann |
|
2025 | Internet forum, unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| Naver Blog WP:NAVERBLOG
|
|
2024 | Korean-language site hosting user-generated content. Unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| Naver Cafe |
|
Korean-language blog/forum site. Unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
| |
| Naver Knowledge |
|
Korean-language forum-like website; unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
| |
| Naver TV |
|
2025 | Video sharing platform, similar to YouTube. Generally unreliable per WP:UGC, although depends on uploader of video. | 1
|
| News1 |
|
2018 | Korean-language newspaper, broad coverage. | 1
|
| Newsen |
|
2024 | Korean-language online paper, mostly pop culture. Needs discussion. | 1
|
| NewsPim |
|
Korean-language newspaper, broad coverage. | 1
| |
| Newsis |
|
2025 | Korean-language newspaper, broad coverage. No major issues are known by editors for the source. | 1
|
| Newstapa |
|
2024 | Korean-language publication from an independent, non-profit media organization (Korea Center for Investigative Journalism). | 1
|
Ningen (defunct)
|
|
2015 | J-pop fanblog.
Available in English, Japanese. |
1
|
| No Cut News |
|
Korean-language newspaper, broad coverage. | 1
| |
| Officially K-Music |
|
2014 | English-language third-party news site which reports relevant K-pop news, mostly from other news sources. | 1
|
| OhmyNews WP:OHMYNEWS
|
|
2024
2024 |
English-language citizen-journalism website. While some of its articles are written by a professional staff, most of its content is by non-staff writers; unreliable per WP:UGC. Regular articles have had issues with fact verification.
Articles by its staff are probably reliable, but non-staff articles are unreliable. You can check if they're staff by clicking on the author's name on the article and reading their bio. The website also has an official staff list. |
1
|
One Hallyu (defunct)
|
|
English-language fan-edited forum; see WP:UGC. | 1
| |
| OSEN |
|
2024 | Korean-language online paper, mostly pop culture. Needs discussion. | 1
|
| Pennmike |
|
2025 | Korean-language publication, little known of editorial policy. Fails WP:USEBYOTHERS, and has published fringe opinions that have drawn criticism from other publications. | 1
|
| Pressian |
|
2024 | Korean-language online paper, broad coverage. | 1
|
| theqoo |
|
2025 | Internet forum, unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| Rigveda Wiki |
|
Korean-language wiki and predecessor to Namuwiki; see WP:UGC. Especially poor reputation for rigor. | 1
| |
| Segye Ilbo |
|
2024 | Korean-language online paper, broad coverage.
The paper is funded by the controversial Unification Church. Avoid using the paper for coverage of religion. In spite of this, the paper is generally considered reliable by journalist organizations in South Korea. Wikipedia editors are not aware of significant issues with the source otherwise. |
1
|
| Seoul Beats |
|
2015 | English-language K-pop and K-drama fanblog and review site. | 1
|
| Seoul Economic Daily |
|
2018 | Korean-language business news, also broad coverage. | 1
|
| Seoul Shinmun |
|
2024 | Korean-language major newspaper, broad coverage. Generally reliable and award-winning coverage, but Wikipedians know of scandals beginning in the 2020s. Be wary of its coverage of local governments in Seoul, particularly that of Gangbuk District. Allegations of Seoul Shinmun pressuring governments into subscribing to it otherwise they'll publish negatively about them. Also be wary of coverage of its controlling shareholder, Hoban Construction. | 1
|
| Sinhan Minbo (defunct) |
|
2018 | Korean-language print media based in the United States, ceased publication in the late 1980s. | — |
| SisaIN |
|
2024 | Korean-language monthly news print magazine founded by former Sisa Journal members. Technically behind paid subscription, but most articles become public after short period. | 1
|
| Sisa Journal |
|
2024 | Korean-language weekly news print magazine.
While it is generally well-regarded, use caution on using the source for coverage of Samsung around 2006. There was a scandal around Sisa's coverage of the company, where the board blocked writing on it. |
1
|
| Slow News |
|
2025 | Unclear credentials and editorial policy, appears to not often be cited by other publications. Needs more discussion and research. | 1
|
| Skye Daily (non-political topics) |
|
2025 | Korean-language newspaper. There is no consensus on the reliability of Skye Daily's reporting on non-political topics. | 1
|
| Skye Daily (politics) |
|
2025 | For political topics, Skye Daily has published a number of articles that have been widely rejected and considered to be fringe and partisan towards the far right. These stories are not known to be supported by credible evidence. | 1
|
| Soompi WP:SOOMPI
|
|
2012
2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2023 |
Major English-language K-pop website. Its reliability is debated. Most agree that the site has had issues with reporting rumors and sensationalized reporting. The site is reportedly frequently cited by other publications that we consider reliable. A 2023 proposal to reclassify it as reliable reached no conclusion. | 1
|
| SOOP |
|
2024 | Formerly called AfreecaTV. Livestreaming site, unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1 2
|
| Sports Today |
|
Korean-language entertainment news site, needs discussion. | 1
| |
| The Standom |
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
Star N (defunct)
|
|
Korean-language entertainment news site, needs discussion. English-language portal of a Korean entertainment news website. | 1
| |
| Star News |
|
Entertainment news about South Korea, needs discussion.
Available in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese. |
1
| |
| Ten Asia |
|
Korean-language entertainment online paper. Part of The Korea Economic Daily. | 1
| |
| Tistory |
|
Korean-language blog-hosting site; see WP:UGC. | 1
| |
| Tokyo Hive |
|
2015 | English-language Allkpop's J-pop counterpart. | 1
|
| Touring Data |
|
2025 | English-language Wordpress blog for concerts/tours stats; unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
|
| Travel Bike News |
|
2018 | Korean-language publication, broad coverage, needs discussion. | 1
|
| TV Daily |
|
Korean-language entertainment news site. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| Unam Wiki |
|
Korean-language conservative wiki, unreliable per WP:UGC | 1
| |
| United K-pop |
|
2015 | English-language K-pop fanblog. | 1
|
| VisitKorea.or.kr |
|
2014 | Website by the government-backed Korea Tourism Organization. Logistical and high-level historical information about places. Historical information passable quality, logistical information more useful.
Available in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, French, Indonesian, German, Spanish, Thai, Russian, Turkish. |
1
|
| VisitSeoul.net |
|
2014 | Seoul Metropolitan Government website for tourists. Logistical and high-level historical information about places. Historical information passable quality, logistical information more useful.
Available in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Malay. |
1
|
| The Women's News |
|
2024 | Korean-language feminist news website. Several users have expressed skepticism of the quality of the source. If used, it should be used in conjunction with other sources.
Also available in English, although it appears to have stopped publishing and is often poorly translated and written. |
1
|
| WikiTree |
|
2024 | English-language news website that published user-generated content until 2019. Several users agreed it has poor editorial supervision. Not to be confused with the genealogy website WikiTree. | 1
|
| WordPress |
|
A blog hosting site; unreliable per WP:UGC. | 1
| |
| XSport News |
|
Korean-language sports and entertainment news. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| Yonhap News Agency (YNA) |
|
2024 | Major news agency. Television and online news.
Be wary of articles published around 2019 to 2021. Undisclosed sponsored articles; many of these were ultimately taken down. These articles should not be considered reliable or impartial. Available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, French. |
1
|
| Zapzee |
|
English-language K-pop website. Needs discussion. | 1
| |
| Zenerate |
|
2024 | English-language blog by content farm consultant company Mediasphere. Confirmed to host AI-generated content. | 1
|
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