Privacy Policy
What we collect, what we do not, and how to have it removed.
This policy explains what personal data Gulf Korean Times collects, why, and what you can do about it. We have kept it specific to what this site actually does rather than listing everything a website might conceivably collect.
The data controller is GKT Media, publisher of Gulf Korean Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Contact: info@gulfkoreantimes.com.
What we collect
There are only three places where this site collects personal data.
- The contact form. Your name and email address, and — if you choose to give them — your telephone number and a subject line, together with the message you write. We use these to read and answer you.
- The newsletter. Your email address, and your name if you provide one. We use it to send you the newsletter, and for nothing else.
- Newsroom accounts. Name, email address, job title, a short biography, an optional photograph, and a hashed password. These belong to our own staff and contributors, not to readers.
What we do not collect
Being concrete matters more here than reassurance, so plainly:
- We run no analytics — no Google Analytics, no Meta pixel, no third-party measurement of any kind.
- We run no advertising networks. Advertising on this site is sold directly and served from our own server; advertisers receive counts of how often a creative was shown or clicked, never anything about who saw it.
- We do not build reader profiles, and we do not sell, rent or trade personal data.
- We do not store your IP address. It is used momentarily, in hashed form, to limit repeated failed sign-in attempts to the newsroom, and is not written to our database.
Cookies
This site sets two cookies. Neither is used for tracking or advertising.
- gkt_theme — remembers whether you chose the light or dark appearance. Stored for one year. Contains only the word "light" or "dark".
- gkt_session — a standard session cookie that keeps newsroom staff signed in. It is created when someone signs in to the CMS and expires when the browser session ends.
You can delete or block cookies in your browser. Blocking gkt_theme means the site will follow your operating system's appearance setting instead of your choice.
Why we are allowed to hold this data
We rely on your consent when you subscribe to the newsletter, and on our legitimate interest in answering correspondence when you write to us. Staff account data is held on the basis of the employment or contributor relationship.
How long we keep it
- Messages from the contact form are kept while they are relevant to the correspondence and to any story arising from it, and are deleted when they are not.
- Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you.
- Newsroom accounts are deactivated and removed when the person stops writing for us.
Who else sees it
Our hosting provider processes data on our behalf in order to run the site. Beyond that we do not share personal data with third parties, except where we are required to by law or by a competent authority.
The site links out to other organisations — embassies, cultural centres, partners, advertisers and social platforms. Once you follow a link you are on their site, under their privacy policy, not ours.
Your rights
You may ask us to:
- tell you what personal data we hold about you;
- correct anything that is wrong;
- delete it;
- stop sending you the newsletter;
- provide a copy of what you gave us.
Write to info@gulfkoreantimes.com and we will respond within thirty days. You do not need to give a reason to unsubscribe or to be deleted.
Security
Passwords are stored hashed, never in plain text. Access to the newsroom system is restricted to named accounts with defined roles. Uploaded files are stored so that they cannot be executed as code. No system is perfectly secure, but we treat reader correspondence as confidential and limit who can read it.
Children
This site is intended for a general adult readership. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, write to us and we will delete it.
Data outside the UAE
Our servers and service providers may be located outside the United Arab Emirates. Where data is transferred abroad, we take reasonable steps to ensure it remains protected to a comparable standard.
Changes
If this policy changes in a way that affects you, we will update the date below and, where the change is significant, say so on the site.
Contact
Privacy and data requests: info@gulfkoreantimes.com
Telephone: 050 461 3991
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Last updated: 30 July 2026.