About

Hi, I'm Sunny — the Korean who tells you the truth.

Sunny Park

Founder & Editor · Jinjja or Not

Jinjja or Not is where you work out which Korean snack or Korean skincare product to actually buy. It is a review site for both, written from Korea, and everything on it I bought and used or ate myself — and where I haven't, I say so on the product. Two halves, one job: I buy the product at Korean retail, read what the Korean label is legally required to print, use it properly, and tell you who should buy it. Korean law makes brands print ingredient concentrations on cosmetics and origin, manufacturer and percentages on food. None of that is hidden — it is just printed in Korean, and the export packaging usually drops it.

There's a wall of Korean snacks at your grocery store and a hundred TikToks telling you every single one is "life-changing." Most of them aren't. I'm here to tell you which ones actually are.

I grew up in Korea eating this stuff — the ramen, the seaweed, the weird-but-wonderful convenience store finds. So when a product goes viral abroad, I can usually tell you whether it's genuinely great or just good marketing. That's the whole idea behind the name: jinjja (진짜) means "real" or "for real" in Korean. Every review here ends with one honest verdict — is it jinjja good, or not?

How my verdicts work

• 🛒
  I use it before I write about it.
  If I haven't eaten it or used it myself, I don't review it. No repackaged press releases here. Almost everything on this site I bought at Korean retail — and when something arrives any other way, I say so on the article itself.
• 🇺🇸
  Explained for a non-Korean palate.
  I compare things to snacks you already know, so "sweet-spicy" or "way less salty than American chips" actually means something.
• ⚖️
  I'll call out the overhyped ones.
  Being Korean doesn't mean I love everything Korean. If something famous is mid, I'll say so.
• 🔗
  Honest even when there's a link.
  Some posts have affiliate links, but my opinion is never for sale. The verdict comes first; the link is just there if you want it.

Wait — is this an ad?

Jinjja or Not uses affiliate links, which means if you buy something through a link here, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. That's how the site keeps the lights on. But I pick the products first and worry about links second — never the other way around. You can read the full affiliate disclosure anytime.

What's coming next

I started in the Korean snack aisle — the stuff that's easy to find abroad and actually worth your money — and I'm still working through it. I've now also started on K-beauty: cleansers, toners, the skincare that's genuinely worth the shelf space rather than just the packaging. Same rule the whole way: I get hold of it, I put in the time, then I tell you straight.

For brands

I'm based in Korea, I read Korean labels, and I write for readers in the US, UK and Australia who can't. If you want your product in front of them, here's exactly how I work — so you can decide before you email, not after.

• 📦
  I'll accept a product to test.
  Gifted items get labelled as gifted, at the top of the article and next to the verdict. Paid placements get labelled as paid. Every time, no exceptions.
• ⚖️
  The verdict isn't part of the deal.
  I'll tell you what I found, including the parts you'd rather I left out. If I don't think I could be honest about your product, I'll turn the sample down rather than write around it.
• 🔍
  I read the Korean box.
  Korean law makes you print the concentration of whatever's in the product name. I publish those numbers. If your formula is strong, that's free credibility no English-language reviewer can give you.
• ✍️
  No approval over copy.
  You'll see it when my readers do. That's the only reason my readers believe me — and the only reason a mention here is worth anything to you.

Brands, PR and press lists: press@jinjjaornot.com. Tell me what the product is and what's printed on the Korean box. I answer either way, including when the answer is no.

Jinjja or Not is an independent site written and run by Sunny Park (business name: Sunyoung Park). Based in Korea, writing for the world.