Terms of Service

Effective Date: April 5, 2026

1. Overview

These Terms of Service (”Terms”) govern your participation in the Korean-American Global Scholars and Professionals Forum (”K-GSP Forum”), including its Substack publication channel, affiliated communications, events, and any other platforms operated under the K-GSP Forum name. By subscribing, contributing, or participating in any capacity, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please discontinue your participation.

2. About K-GSP Forum

K-GSP Forum is a voluntary scholarly and professional community. It is not a peer-reviewed academic journal, a legal entity, a registered nonprofit, or an institutional publisher. It operates as a collaborative intellectual forum coordinated by its Editorial Board. All editorial decisions are made in good faith by the Editor-in-Coordination and the Editorial Board.

3. Contributor Eligibility and Responsibilities

Contributors to K-GSP Forum must be scholars, educators, researchers, or professionals with a genuine commitment to the Forum’s mission. By submitting content, contributors agree to the following. First, submitted work is original and has not been previously published in substantially the same form without prior disclosure to the Editor-in-Coordination. Second, the submission does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party, including but not limited to copyrights, trademarks, and proprietary data. Third, all sources, data, quotations, and references cited in the submission are accurate, verifiable, and properly attributed. Fourth, the contributor holds all necessary rights to submit and authorize publication of the work. Fifth, the contributor will promptly notify the Editor-in-Coordination of any errors, disputes, or competing claims that arise after publication.

4. Copyright and Intellectual Property

Contributors retain full copyright ownership of their original work published through K-GSP Forum. By submitting content, contributors grant K-GSP Forum a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to publish, distribute, archive, and promote the work across its platforms, including but not limited to its Substack channel, social media accounts, newsletters, and affiliated communications. This license does not transfer ownership and does not prevent contributors from republishing their work elsewhere, provided that K-GSP Forum is acknowledged as the original publication venue. K-GSP Forum will not sell, license, or transfer contributor content to third parties without explicit written consent from the contributor.

5. Use of Third-Party Content

Contributors are solely responsible for ensuring that any third-party material included in their submissions — including quotations, images, data, charts, and adapted frameworks — is used in compliance with applicable copyright law. Fair use principles may apply in scholarly and educational contexts, but contributors should not rely on fair use without careful consideration. When in doubt, contributors must obtain written permission from the rights holder before submission. K-GSP Forum assumes no legal liability for contributor use of third-party content. Any legal claims arising from unauthorized use of third-party material are the sole responsibility of the contributing author.

6. Editorial Standards and Review

All submissions are subject to editorial review by the Editor-in-Coordination and the Editorial Board. K-GSP Forum reserves the right to accept, decline, request revision of, or withdraw any submission at its sole editorial discretion. Editorial decisions are based on quality, relevance, accuracy, and alignment with the Forum’s mission and standards. Rejection of a submission does not constitute a reflection on the contributor’s professional standing.

7. Prohibited Content

Contributors and participants may not submit or share content that contains fabricated, falsified, or plagiarized material; makes defamatory, harassing, or discriminatory statements about any individual, institution, or group; violates the privacy or confidentiality of any person without their explicit consent; infringes upon the intellectual property rights of any third party; constitutes spam, unsolicited promotion, or commercial advertising; or misrepresents the contributor’s identity, credentials, or institutional affiliation.

8. Confidentiality

K-GSP Forum treats all unpublished submissions, editorial correspondence, and sensitive professional information shared by contributors as confidential. Editorial Board members and affiliated staff will not disclose, share, or discuss such material outside of the editorial review process without the contributor’s explicit consent.

9. Subscriber Conduct

Subscribers to K-GSP Forum’s Substack channel agree to use published content for personal, educational, and non-commercial purposes only. Reproduction, redistribution, or adaptation of published content for commercial purposes requires written permission from both K-GSP Forum and the original contributor. Subscribers may share links to published posts freely. Direct reproduction of full articles without attribution is prohibited.

10. Disclaimers

K-GSP Forum publishes content for scholarly and professional reflection. Nothing published through K-GSP Forum constitutes legal, financial, medical, or professional advice. The views expressed by individual contributors are their own and do not represent the positions of K-GSP Forum, its Editorial Board, or any affiliated institution. K-GSP Forum makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for purpose of any published content.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, K-GSP Forum, its Editorial Board members, coordinators, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from participation in the Forum, use of published content, or reliance on any information shared through K-GSP Forum platforms.

12. Amendments

K-GSP Forum reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. Contributors and subscribers will be notified of material changes through the Forum’s Substack channel. Continued participation following notification constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Governing Principle

K-GSP Forum operates in the spirit of open scholarly exchange, mutual respect, and intellectual integrity. These Terms exist not to restrict but to protect — contributors, subscribers, and the integrity of the Forum itself. We ask all participants to engage in good faith and in the interest of the community we are building together.

14. Contact

For questions, concerns, or requests related to these Terms, please contact the Editor-in-Coordination. Jeonghwan (Jerry) Choi, Editor-in-Coordination, K-GSP Forum, University of Maine at Presque Isle.

These Terms of Service were adopted by the K-GSP Forum Editorial Board effective April 5, 2026. They are subject to periodic review and revision.