Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2026-10-07
1. Who we are
ToKorea.org (โweโ, โusโ) is operated by an individual operator based in the Republic of Korea. You can contact us about privacy at ju9896012@gmail.com. This policy explains what information is handled when you use ToKorea.org. Creating an account is optional and you can browse every page without one; we do not ask for your name, email address or other contact details to browse.
2. Information we and our providers may process
Depending on how you use the site, the following may be processed:
- Technical data such as IP address, browser and device type, referring page, requested pages and time of request. This is generated automatically in server logs by our hosting provider (Google Cloud) for security, reliability and abuse prevention.
- Advertising data such as cookie identifiers, advertising IDs and interaction data, processed by Google AdSense and its partners when ads are shown (see section 4).
- Information you send us voluntarily, such as your email address and message if you write to us.
- Account data, only if you choose to sign in to My Korea: your email address, display name, and the places, trips, passport country, travel dates and checklist progress you save. Sign-in is provided by Google Firebase Authentication (email link, Google, Facebook or Apple); we never receive or store a password, and we do not collect passport numbers or visa documents.
3. Data stored in your browser and in your account
If you are not signed in, places you add to โMy Korea Itineraryโ and your other My Korea data are stored only in your browserโs local storage and are not sent to our servers. If you sign in, the same data is also stored in your account on Google Cloud Firestore, protected so that only you can read or change it, so you can open it on other devices. You can delete saved items from the My Korea pages, or delete your whole account from My Korea > Account.
To produce traffic statistics and protect the site, each page view is sent to our statistics service. It records the page address, the language, the referring site, your IP address, the country estimated from the IP address (using GeoLite data created by MaxMind), your browser, operating system and device type, the time, and a random visitor ID that your browser keeps in local storage so that one browser is counted once. Requests from known robots are ignored, and the site does not send the statistics request if your browser sends a Do Not Track signal. Raw records that include IP addresses are deleted after 90 days; only counters (for example visits per day or per country) are kept longer. The statistics are viewed only by the site operator and are not sold or used to identify you. You can clear the visitor ID by deleting this siteโs data in your browser.
Language is determined by the address (URL) of the page you open, not by a stored preference.
4. Cookies and Google AdSense advertising
We use Google AdSense to display advertising. Google and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to serve and measure ads, including ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. Googleโs use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
You can manage or opt out of personalized advertising at Google Ads Settings (adssettings.google.com) and learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or use tools such as aboutads.info (US) and youronlinechoices.eu (EU). Blocking cookies may reduce personalization but will not stop ads from being shown.
Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are shown a consent message where required by law so that they can choose whether cookies and personalized ads may be used.
5. Third-party services used by the site
To provide features, your browser connects directly to these third parties, who receive your IP address and standard request data:
- Google Cloud (hosting and delivery of this site).
- Google AdSense / Google advertising domains (ads).
- open.er-api.com (Exchange Rate API), called from your browser only when you open the currency converter, to load exchange rates. No personal data is sent by us.
- Fonts and images are served from our own domain; we do not load fonts from third-party font services.
6. Why we process data (purposes and legal bases)
We process technical data to operate, secure and improve the site (legitimate interests). Advertising data is processed based on your consent where the law requires it, and otherwise on our legitimate interest in funding the site. Messages you send are processed to respond to you.
7. Retention
Server logs are kept by our hosting provider for a limited period under its own retention rules and are then deleted. Emails you send us are kept for as long as needed to handle your request and are then deleted. Advertising cookies expire according to Googleโs settings.
8. Sharing and international transfers
We do not sell personal information. Data is shared only with the service providers described above, which may process data in countries outside your own, including the United States. Where required, transfers rely on the providersโ standard safeguards.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live (for example under the EU/UK GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act, or the Republic of Koreaโs Personal Information Protection Act), you may have rights to access, correct, delete or restrict the processing of your personal information, to object to processing, to withdraw consent, and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. You can delete your account and the data stored in it at any time from My Korea > Account. Other data is mostly held by Google under its own privacy policy; you can exercise advertising choices as described in section 4. To make a request about information we hold, email ju9896012@gmail.com.
10. Security
The site is served over HTTPS. We take reasonable technical measures to protect the information we handle, but no method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
11. Children
The site is a general-audience travel guide and is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 where local law sets that age). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
12. Third-party links
The site links to official and other third-party websites. We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices.
13. Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. The current version applies from 2026-10-07. Material changes will be reflected on this page with a new date.