브런치 (Brunch)
Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.
Overview
브런치 (Brunch, "Beureonchi") is a publishing platform from Kakao, operating since 2023 under the name 브런치스토리 (Brunch Story, "Beureonchi Seutori"). Not everyone writes here: to publish, you have to pass a selection process and be granted writer status.
The platform states its own concept as 「글이 작품이 되는 공간」 ("geuri jakpumi doeneun gonggan") — "a space where writing becomes a work of art". Kakao confirms that wording in a press release and adds the distinguishing feature: what sets it apart is that quality content is published by selected writers who have passed an approval system.
For audience work this is a rare arrangement: the barrier to entry stands in front of the writer, not the reader. In exchange the platform provides a showcase, a publishing contest, donations and a paid subscription.
Who's here
The figures were published by Kakao in a press release dated 19 September 2025: as of September 2025 there were 95,000 registered Brunch writers, and the cumulative number of their publications had passed 8 million. From the same source: the service was launched by Kakao in June 2015.
One more measurement comes from the Brunch team's anniversary announcement: roughly 4,4 million people have come into contact with Brunch in one way or another over ten years. That is a cumulative figure, not an active audience.
On the ecosystem's results Kakao reports: more than 10,000 books have grown out of publications on Brunch, and the revenue of editions in the top-10 bestseller list came to 47 billion won.
The language is Korean; no other language versions appear on the pages we checked.
Getting started
Registering with Kakao is free, but you cannot publish straight away. The official guide says that anyone who writes about the world through their own eyes can become a Brunch writer — publishing experience and literary credentials are not required.
The application has three parts: an account of yourself, a plan for your activity on Brunch, and writing samples — either already published or saved as drafts on the platform. The platform advises attaching texts connected to the plan you state. The application is assessed on who you are and what activity you intend to pursue.
A response time is stated: the result arrives by email and as an in-app notification within 5 business days. Rejection is not final — you may reapply with stronger material.
What you can publish
The main units are the standalone post, 연재 (yeonjae, a serial publication with chapters released on a schedule) and 브런치북 (Brunch Book) — an "e-collection" assembled from posts. The home page sections we saw: 브런치 나우 (the "now" feed), 브런치 독서클럽 (reading club), 브런치 책방 (bookshop).
On the publishing contest Kakao supplies figures: the 브런치북 출판 프로젝트 has run annually since 2015; the cumulative number of entries is about 63,000, with 336 winners and 359 winning works, and total support for writers has passed 600 million won.
No limits on post length, file size or prohibited topics are given on the pages we were able to open — Brunch's operational rules sit behind the service login.
How to grow
The platform does not disclose its ranking mechanics. The channels it does name are the editorial sections of the home page: the "now" feed, the reading club, the bookshop and the curated selections. Kakao reinforces growth with formats outside the service: a free tenth-anniversary exhibition in Seoul on 16–19 October 2025 with free admission and the annual publishing contest.
Two growth figures Kakao gives as of June against the same month a year earlier: the number of new writers grew by 135 %, and the number of works in Brunch Book format by 125 %. These are the platform's claims about itself; it does not state the base the growth was calculated from.
The platform describes no built-in analytics on its open pages. The robots.txt file explicitly closes the path /*/stats to crawlers — meaning a statistics page exists, but is not public.
Path to monetization
Two mechanisms: donations and a paid subscription.
응원하기 (eungwonhagi, "support") is a donation attached to a publication. Kakao describes it as a service where readers pass money to the writer along with words of support, and reports the volume: cumulative support reached 450 million won by September 2025. The model was officially opened in 2024.
브런치 작가 멤버십 (Brunch Writer Membership) is a paid subscription to a writer's gated material. Kakao calls it a paid content subscription service in which a reader subscribes to a writer they like and receives premium material; the official launch was 16 July 2025, preceded by a trial run from January with roughly two dozen writers. During the month of pre-enrolment more than 3,000 people applied.
Entry requirements for the membership: at least 30 subscribers and at least 3 publications over the last 3 months; the participant must be an individual aged 14 or over — corporate accounts are not accepted.
Now the money, and this is the crucial part. The platform's commission changed on a schedule: 0 % until June 2026, 10 % from July 2026. Kakao confirms the same timing in its press release: a promise of zero platform commission on subscriptions until June 2026. As of our check — 28 July 2026 — the grace period has already ended, so the 10 % rate is in force.
On top of the platform commission there is a payment processing fee, and it depends sharply on where the reader pressed the button: via the web it is about 2–3 %, via Google Play 15 %, via the App Store 30 %. What the writer actually receives is the amount net of the payment fee, the platform commission and withholding tax.
Payouts go through the 창작자 정산센터 (creator settlement centre), and they require a verified domestic bank account — which means monetization is in practice designed for Korean residents.
Tools and automation
Brunch describes no official programming interface for writers on the pages we opened. The robots.txt file closes the paths /api/, /admin/, /write, /ready, /library, /me/, /feed, /search, /embed/ and /preview/ to crawlers — an internal interface exists, but it is for service use, not open.
We found no third-party scheduling or analytics tools with confirmed Brunch support. Publishing is done through the web editor and the mobile app.
A separate detail from the same file: Brunch bars crawlers that collect data for AI training from the site — the list includes GPTBot, ClaudeBot, anthropic-ai, Claude-Web, Google-Extended, meta-externalagent, CCBot and others, but separately permits the user and search agents Claude-User and Claude-SearchBot on all paths except the service ones. We worked within that permission.
Limits and rules
- Entry. Publishing only after an application is approved, with a response within 5 business days.
- Membership. 30 subscribers, 3 publications in 3 months, age 14 and over, personal accounts only.
- Commission. 10 % from July 2026 plus a payment fee of 2–3 % on the web, 15 % in Google Play, 30 % in the App Store and withholding tax.
- Payouts. A verified domestic bank account is required.
- Crawlers. Data collectors for AI training are not admitted to the site.
- Language. Korean; no other interface versions on the pages we checked.
Who it's for
It suits you if you write in Korean and are counting on long-form text rather than short posts: selection at the entrance means the feed is not diluted by a random stream. It suits those whose goal is a printed book: more than 10,000 editions have grown out of publications on the platform, and the contest, with a prize fund of more than 600 million won over its whole history, runs every year.
It does not suit you if you are not a Korean resident: payouts require a domestic bank account. It does not suit scheduling or external automation: there is no open interface. And it does not suit you if you are not prepared for a selection process — without an approved application you cannot publish.
Verified data
The checked data this deep dive rests on.
About the platform
the operator is Kakao Corp.; the service was launched by Kakao in June 2015 under the name 브런치 (Brunch), and since 2023 as 브런치스토리 (Brunch Story)
Kakao press release of 19.09.2025
source, checked 2026-07-28
the platform describes itself as 「글이 작품이 되는 공간」 ("geuri jakpumi doeneun gonggan", "a space where writing becomes a work of art")
Kakao's wording; the same concept is visible on the brunch.co.kr home page
source, checked 2026-07-28
Who's here
the platform reports 95 thousand registered Brunch writers as of September 2025
A Kakao claim, not an independent measurement
source, checked 2026-07-28
the platform reports more than 8 million cumulative publications by its writers as of September 2025
A cumulative figure
source, checked 2026-07-28
the service team reports that about 4,4 million people have come into contact with Brunch in one way or another over ten years
A cumulative figure from the anniversary announcement, not an active audience
source, checked 2026-07-28
Getting started
you can publish only after your application is approved: you submit an account of yourself, a plan of activity and writing samples; the result arrives within 5 business days
Rejection is not final, and an application can be resubmitted
source, checked 2026-07-28
Content
the platform reports that more than 10 thousand books have grown out of publications on Brunch, and that the revenue of editions in the top-10 bestseller list came to 47 billion won
A Kakao claim
source, checked 2026-07-28
Promotion
the 브런치북 출판 프로젝트 publishing contest has run annually since 2015: about 63 thousand entries cumulatively, 336 winners, 359 winning works, and support for writers of more than 600 million won
Kakao data as of September 2025
source, checked 2026-07-28
Kakao reports that the number of new writers grew by 135 % and the number of works in Brunch Book format by 125 % in June against the same month a year earlier
The platform does not state the base the growth was calculated from
source, checked 2026-07-28
How the money works here
응원하기 (eungwonhagi, "support") is a donation attached to a publication; the model was officially opened in 2024, and cumulative support reached 450 million won by September 2025
The platform's commission on a donation is not published on the open pages
source, checked 2026-07-28
브런치 작가 멤버십 (a paid subscription to a writer's gated material) officially launched on 16 July 2025; a trial run with roughly two dozen writers had been under way since January 2025
Kakao press release
source, checked 2026-07-28
membership entry requirements: at least 30 subscribers, at least 3 publications over the last 3 months, age 14 and over, personal accounts only (corporate accounts are not accepted)
Official announcement by the Brunch team
source, checked 2026-07-28
platform commission on subscriptions: 0 % until June 2026, 10 % starting from the settlements for July 2026
As of the check date (28.07.2026) the grace period had expired; the same end date is confirmed by the Kakao press release https://www.kakaocorp.com/page/detail/11710
source, checked 2026-07-28
the payment processing fee depends on the channel: web about 2-3 %, Google Play 15 %, App Store 30 %; the writer receives the amount net of the payment fee, the platform commission and withholding tax
The gap between the web and the app stores is up to 30 percentage points
source, checked 2026-07-28
payouts require a verified domestic bank account; settlements go through the 창작자 정산센터 (creator settlement centre)
In practice monetization is designed for Korean residents
source, checked 2026-07-28
Limits and restrictions
robots.txt bars crawlers that collect data for AI training (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, anthropic-ai, Claude-Web, Google-Extended, meta-externalagent, CCBot and others) from the whole site, but permits Claude-User and Claude-SearchBot on all paths except the service ones
The file is dated 2026-04-22; our check was carried out within that permission
source, checked 2026-07-28
the home page redirects to the authorisation page when accessed without a login (HTTP 302 to /?signin)
The publishing rules, limits and writer settings are closed behind the login
source, checked 2026-07-28
Languages
the interface language of the home page: ko
The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang
source, checked 2026-07-28
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