Dispatch

Dispatch was founded by nine reporters who had worked in the same department at 스포츠서울닷컴 and left together, including Lee Myeong-gu (이명구), later its chief executive.⁠[1]

Dispatch was registered on March 22, 2011, and began publication on March 30, 2011.⁠[2]

In case 2012Da31628, the Supreme Court of Korea dismissed the appeal of 주식회사 디스패치뉴스그룹 and six other defendants and upheld the Seoul High Court’s judgment that publishing, without consent, the two plaintiffs’ private matters, such as a meeting between their families and dating scenes, along with photos taken without permission, violated their privacy, and one plaintiff’s portrait rights, making the defendants jointly liable for damages for mental distress.⁠[3]

The Blue House later stated that Dispatch had lost a 2013 suit over invasion of privacy, deleted the article concerned and paid 15 million won in damages.⁠[4]

In March 2014, after about six months of tracking, Dispatch published a report on the relationship of figure skater Kim Yuna (김연아).⁠[5]

Kim Yuna’s side announced legal action. Dispatch reporter Seo Bo-hyun (서보현) said that Dispatch’s basic position was that top stars should accept a certain degree of exposure of their private lives, and that it would correct any problematic parts of its reporting.⁠[6]

In a phone segment on the JTBC program 썰전, Seo Bo-hyun denied that Dispatch used paparazzi photos of couples to make deals with agencies, and said that it sometimes contacted agencies on the day of publication to hear their side.⁠[7]

On March 23, 2015, Dispatch published a report on the relationship between actor Lee Min-ho (이민호) and Suzy (수지).⁠[8]

Based on a bystander’s account, Dispatch had stated that Yewon (예원) did not use casual speech in her dispute with Lee Tae-im (이태임), which proved wrong; on March 30, Dispatch apologized on Facebook.⁠[1]

On June 26, 2018, a petition on the Blue House national petition site asked for measures including closure against the outlet that secretly photographed celebrities and published reports on their private lives; it drew 211,296 signatures within a month. On August 8, Jung Hye-seung (정혜승), director of the Blue House Digital Communication Center, responded that what an outlet writes and reports falls within press freedom, that government intervention would be inappropriate, and that victims could seek redress under the Press Arbitration Act.⁠[9]

On January 1, 2019, Dispatch published a report, based on photos of dates and other material, on a relationship between EXO member Kai and BLACKPINK member Jennie.⁠[4]

By 2 p.m. on January 2, 14 petitions calling for Dispatch to be shut down had been posted on the Blue House national petition site, the most supported of them having about 20,000 signatures.⁠[10]

Dispatch reporters, starting from a dating rumor, investigated Kang Jong-hyun (강종현), known as the Bithumb chairman, spending more than 100 days reviewing eight years of disclosures by three listed companies; the report raised suspicions that some 800 billion won in convertible bonds and bonds with warrants were issued through the three companies over two years, along with suspected stock manipulation and fraudulent unfair trading. As of December 2022, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office was examining the matter.⁠[11]

Dispatch, which joined the Journalists Association of Korea in 2022, won its first Journalist of the Month award, in the economic reporting category, for the Kang Jong-hyun report.⁠[12]

Dispatch’s report on obtaining the court rulings in Jeon Cheong-jo’s (전청조) prior fraud convictions won the 398th Journalist of the Month award in the second investigative reporting category. The judging committee found that it had prevented further fraud victims, was well researched and avoided sensationalism, while some members noted that it began as gossip and had limited social significance.⁠[13]

Min Hee-jin (민희진) filed a police complaint against two Dispatch reporters over the outlet’s reporting on her dispute with HYBE; her lawyers alleged that the two wrote false stories while fully aware of HYBE’s intentions. The matter was then at the complaint stage.⁠[14]

A series by two Dispatch reporters tracking lapses in the alternative public service duty of K-pop idols won the 412th Journalist of the Month award in the second investigative reporting category.⁠[15]

Dispatch is operated in Seoul by (주)디스패치뉴스그룹; its chief executive and publisher is Lee Myeong-gu, its editor is Lim Geun-hoLim Geun-hoLim Geun-ho (임근호) is a South Korean entertainment journalist and editor who co-founded the entertainment news website Dispatch in 2011 and has served as its news department head, editor-in-chief and editor.Open the full entry, and its registration number is 서울 아01558.⁠[16]

Dispatch says that it has brought investigative reporting into entertainment news and tries to deliver more accurate news even if somewhat later.⁠[2]

Dispatch: Official website: https://www.dispatch.co.kr/ (opens in a new window)⁠[16]

X: Official account: https://x.com/_koreadispatch_ (opens in a new window)⁠[16]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Official account: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1reoal0esOCQkomB97e9wQ (opens in a new window)⁠[16]

Instagram: Official account: https://www.instagram.com/koreadispatch (opens in a new window)⁠[16]