Soompiis an English-language website providing coverage ofKorean pop culture.[1]It has one of the largest international Internet communities forK-pop,[2]mostly concentrated in news and forums. With more than 23 million fans across all platforms, Soompi offers English and Spanish services.[3]
 | |
| Available in | English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Thai |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | San Francisco,United States(Global) Seoul,South Korea(Korean offices) |
| Owner | Rakuten Inc. (Viki) |
| URL | www |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | March 1998 |
| Current status | Active |
Since its establishment in 1998, Soompi has grown into one of the longest-running, and most frequently visited websites providing coverage of Korean music, celebrity news and entertainment.[4][5][6][7]
Initially its visitors were mostly Koreans residing in foreign nations, with over 1.2 million people visiting the site. However, as of 2012, the majority of its members are non-Koreans in the United States, Canada, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia, among others.[8][9]
History
editSoompi was founded in 1998 by Korean American web developer Susan Kang,[10][11]In February 2011, it was acquired by Enswers, Inc.,[12][13][14]a Seoul-based IT venture company specializing in video search technology,[15]and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of it. When Enswers was acquired by another company, Soompi found a new home withCrunchyroll,a U.S.-based VOD site that specializes in anime, in 2013.[citation needed]Vikiacquired Soompi on August 19, 2015.[16]
Soompi Awards
editSoompi is also known for its annual Soompi Awards,[17]which began in 2005, and recogniseK-popandKorean dramaacts.[18]Winners are selected partially based on fan voting and partially based on Soompi's music charts.[18]
References
edit- ^"Soompi.com shows Hallyu where to go".The Korea Herald.Archivedfrom the original on 16 February 2011.Retrieved16 February2012.
- ^"Have You Heard Of Soompi? It's The Largest English Community For The Korean Wave".Advanced Technology Korea.Archivedfrom the original on 29 April 2011.Retrieved16 February2012.
- ^Dae-yong, Kim (24 September 2012)."KT - New Strategies for Media & Contents industry".Korea IT Times.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2015.Retrieved16 March2018.
- ^Bue, Jonathan."K-Pop's Connection to CSUN".Daily Sundial.Archivedfrom the original on 31 December 2013.Retrieved27 October2012.
of Soompi.com, an English language authority for Korean entertainment.
- ^"Can Girls Generation break through in America?".The Wall Street Journal.Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2012.Retrieved14 February2012.
"Girls' Generation are easily the biggest girl group in all of Asia," says Susan Kang, founder and CEO of Soompi.com, the largest English-language K-pop site.
- ^"Ways to keep the Wave rolling around the world".Korea JoongAng Daily.Archived from the original on 25 June 2012.Retrieved16 February2012.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^"Gangname-style viral popularity in US has koreans puzzled gratified".The Wall Street Journal.Archivedfrom the original on 5 July 2017.
- ^"Web triggers global renaissance of Korean Wave".Korea JoongAng Daily.Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.Retrieved16 February2012.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^"Soompi – A Site Where Netizens Revel in Korean Culture".Koreabrand.net.Archivedfrom the original on 19 January 2012.Retrieved16 February2012.
- ^"Music Of The Seoul".The Daily.Archivedfrom the original on 13 September 2012.Retrieved16 February2012.
- ^"Founder of largest English K-pop site Soompi".Korea Times.Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2013.Retrieved17 February2012.
- ^"Enswers Acquires Soompi Korean Entertainment community".allthingsd.com.Archivedfrom the original on 17 February 2012.Retrieved14 February2012.
- ^"Enswers' history".enswersinc.com.Archived fromthe originalon 1 January 2012.Retrieved14 February2012.
- ^"SOOMPI.COM - the Korean Pop Culture Site".HanCinema.Archivedfrom the original on 24 March 2013.Retrieved16 February2012.
- ^"Translation services make World Wide Web more worldwide".Yonhap News Agency.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2012.Retrieved16 February2012.
- ^"Viki Buys Korean Fan Community Soompi from Peter Chernin's Crunchyroll".Variety.19 August 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2015.Retrieved12 September2015.
- ^Herman, Tamar (16 April 2018)."Interactive Soompi Awards Show Immense Growth In K-Pop-Oriented Twitter Activity".Forbes.Retrieved25 March2019.
- ^abHerman, Tamar (16 April 2018)."BTS, GOT7 & Other K-Pop Acts Win Big at Soompi Awards".Billboard.Retrieved28 June2021.