Dear the Blue Roof Subscribers,
Happy new year 2024!
On behalf of the TBR Team, thank you so much for your readership and support. Since our first official newsletter from September 2020, we have gained thousands of subscribers, many of whom are leading policymakers and journalists. In the past year, our open rate has never fallen below 50%, when the industry standard for newsletter open rate is 17%. All this reflects a genuine desire for deeper understanding of the politics of South Korea, which still arguably is the most under-covered major country.
We are also proud to say that TBR has been leading the international coverage of South Korea's politics and diplomacy. Our newsletter has been the first to raise international awareness on topics like the rise of misogyny in politics, erosion of democratic norms, and the country's rise as a military power and weapons exporter. These topics were picked up by major international publications such as the Economist, CNN and the Washington Post, which further developed them to enrich global conversation about South Korean politics.
This year, the TBR Team will evolve our newsletter into the next stage toward long-term sustainability. This will include paid subscription for TBR's newsletter and weekly cover stories, which will fund more direct reporting and interviews and revamped website design. The changes are not about making TBR a business enterprise that maximizes profit. Rather, it is to ensure that this newsletter may continue to run for years to come.
With the critical General Election coming up in April, South Korean politics has been as interesting as ever. We hope you will continue this journey with us.
