Ohmynews

What Ohmynews does

Ohmynews (오마이뉴스) is a South Korea-headquartered online news platform founded on February 22, 2000 by Oh Yeon-ho, built on the citizen-journalism premise that any member of the public can publish news. Over roughly two decades it has mobilized more than 80,000 citizen reporters, who are paid per article, alongside a professional editorial team of about 100 full-time staff operating across offices in Seoul's Mapo-gu and Jongno-gu districts. The platform serves Korean readers seeking news, opinion, and lifestyle content, and a parallel community of contributors seeking to publish under its byline system.

The product surface comprises a web and mobile news destination, a network of branded sub-properties (OhmyStar for entertainment celebrities, OhmyTV for video, OhmyPhoto for photography, OhmyBook for publishing), and an AI chatbot named Manu (마뉴) that wraps OpenAI's ChatGPT to provide conversational access to editorial content. Additional offerings include the Frog Press Corps (개구리 기자단) youth journalism program and partnership-driven initiatives such as the Kkumttul Plane travel program with social enterprise Dreamful.

Ohmynews runs a reader-funded business model anchored on its 10만인클럽 (100,000 Person Club) subscription tier priced at 10,000+ KRW per month, supplemented by advertising and branded-content monetization across sub-brands. The company is privately held with no disclosed parent company or outside funding rounds.

Name

Ohmynews

Legal name

OhmyNews (오마이뉴스)

Website

https://ohmynews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ohmynews is a South Korean online news platform founded in 2000, pioneering citizen journalism with contributions from over 80,000 reporters. It offers subscription-funded news, lifestyle sub-brands, and an AI chatbot, serving Korean readers and contributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online News & Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

News & Current Affairs Aggregators (MPACAKAA), Digital Content & Media Subscriptions (CRAFAIAA)

Keywords

• Citizen journalism
• Online news media
• News subscription
• Digital publishing
• Participatory media

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 10만인클럽 Subscription Membership (정기후원): Monthly subscription-based membership where paying members (10만인클럽) support Ohmynews. Members pay monthly fees ranging from 10,000 KRW and receive benefits including diary books, ad-free articles, discounts on education programs and travel, and direct support for investigative journalism. The platform was founded on the principle of reader-funded journalism to maintain independence from capital influence.
2. Citizen Journalist Article Fees (원고료): Citizen journalists earn article fees (원고료) when their articles are published. These fees can also be used to pay for 10만인클럽 membership (minimum 100,000 KRW in article fees required).
3. Advertising Revenue: The platform displays advertisements on its website and content, generating advertising revenue as a complementary stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ohmynews operates a subscription-supported online citizen journalism platform that publishes news, opinion, photo, video, and book content contributed by a registered base of more than 80,000 citizen journalists. The company sells 10,000 KRW monthly memberships under the 10만인클럽 (100,000 Member Club) and runs supplementary offerings including a Citizen Journalist School, the Manu AI chatbot, content sub-brands such as OhmyStar/OhmyTV/OhmyPhoto/OhmyBook, and physical event programming at the Seogyo-dong Madangjaip space.

Product overview

OhmyNews operates as a unified citizen journalism news platform with multiple integrated content verticals and membership services. The core offering is the OhmyNews (오마이뉴스) platform where citizen journalists write and publish news articles. This core platform is supported by specialized content sections including OhmyStar for entertainment, OhmyTV for video content, OhmyPhoto for photography, and OhmyBook for publishing. The company also operates a paid membership program called 10만인클럽 (100,000 Member Club) for voluntary subscriber support, along with educational services (Citizen Journalist School), a youth journalism program (Frog Press Corps), and an AI-powered customer service chatbot. Additional services include travel programs (꿈틀비행기), fact-checking, news mapping, and an event space rental program (Seogyo-dong Madangjaip).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OhmyStar (오마이스타): Entertainment news platform covering celebrities, TV, movies, music, and sports
• OhmyPhoto (오마이포토)
• OhmyTV (오마이TV)
• 100,000 Person Club (10만인클럽)
• Citizen Journalist School (시민기자학교)
• Kkumttul Plane (꿈틀비행기)
• OhmyBook (오마이북)

Products and services

• Ohmynews Platform Online citizen journalism news platform where registered citizen journalists and staff reporters publish news, opinion, photo, video, and book content for general readers in South Korea.
• 10만인클럽 (100,000 Member Club) Subscription Paid monthly subscription membership priced at 10,000 KRW that gives readers access to Ohmynews content and underwrites the platform's editorial independence from advertisers and capital owners.
• Citizen Journalist School Training program for aspiring and active citizen journalists to develop reporting, writing, and submission skills for the Ohmynews platform.
• AI Chatbot Manu Conversational AI chatbot service for Ohmynews users, built on OpenAI's ChatGPT, that supports interactive use of the platform.
• Seogyo-dong Madangjaip (서교동 마당짜잇) Physical event and community space operated by Ohmynews in the Seogyo-dong area of Seoul, used for workshops, conferences (including the annual Seoul Future Conference), and citizen journalism community events.
• OhmyStar (오마이스타) Entertainment content vertical/brand within Ohmynews covering celebrity, K-pop, film, and other entertainment topics for general readers.
• OhmyTV (오마이TV) Video content vertical/brand within Ohmynews publishing citizen-produced and curated video news and entertainment content.
• OhmyPhoto (오마이포토) Photo content vertical/brand within Ohmynews publishing citizen-submitted photography.
• OhmyBook (오마이북) Book publishing/content vertical within Ohmynews producing or curating books related to the platform's journalism and themes.
• Kkumttul Biheanggi (꿈틀비행기) Ohmynews sub-brand focused on travel content and reporting for general readers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000 citizen journalists participated over 20 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Substack: Subscription-based newsletter and independent writing platform built on the citizen-publishing premise. Shares the reader-paid creator economics with Ohmynews's 10만인클럽 model, although Substack operates globally and is technology-led rather than editorial-led.
• Citizen News Service (CNS): Citizen-driven news and opinion platform emphasizing user contributions and community journalism. Conceptually aligned with Ohmynews's founding citizen-journalism ethos, though smaller in scale and reach.

Broad incumbents

• Korea Herald (코리아헤럴드): Major English-language Korean daily with an established online portal. Represents the legacy mainstream media that Ohmynews was founded as an alternative to, competing for advertiser attention and cross-section readership in Korea.
• Hankyoreh (한겨레): Major progressive South Korean newspaper with a strong online presence. Competes with Ohmynews for politically engaged Korean readers, but as a broader incumbent offering extensive daily news coverage, op-eds, and a full editorial newsroom rather than citizen contributions.
• Naver News (네이버 뉴스): Aggregation platform operated by Korea's dominant internet company, distributing content from thousands of sources. While not a producer itself, it dictates traffic flow in Korean digital news and represents the structural competitive threat Ohmynews faces as an independent producer.

Direct peers

• Rappler (Philippines): Independent digital news outlet combining professional journalism with citizen contributors and a reader-supported model. Operates in a similar Asian market context and shares the hybrid pro-am editorial structure that defines Ohmynews.
• Global Voices: International citizen journalism network founded in 2005 with volunteer contributors worldwide. Closely aligned with Ohmynews's philosophy of 'every citizen is a journalist' and serves as the closest international analogue to its community-led editorial model.
• Pressian (프레시안): Progressive, independent Korean online news outlet founded in 2000 with a similar digital-first, citizen-friendly editorial stance. Both compete for the same ideologically-aligned Korean readership and advertisers, making them the closest direct peer in the domestic market.
• Newstapa (뉴스타파): Korea's first investigative journalism outlet funded by reader contributions and sponsorship, operating with a non-profit model. Shares Ohmynews's reader-funded DNA and citizen-journalist ethos, competing for the same audience that values independent investigative reporting.

Regional players

• Bloter (블로터): Korean online media outlet covering technology, internet policy, and digital culture. While narrower in scope (tech-focused), it competes for the same digitally-native Korean audience and ad spend that Ohmynews targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ohmynews_korea
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OhmynewsTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/OhmyNewsKorea
• Instagraminstagram.com/ohmynewskorea/?hl=ko
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohmynews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohmynews