AI-written PR emails in Korean flood newsrooms as outreach goes automated

Foreign developers and founders are increasingly sending press releases in Korean to Korean newsrooms, and AI appears to be doing much of the work. One editorial inbox received only a handful of such emails a month in August and September, then more than 30 in October, almost all written in Korean.

Five pitches, one pattern

Five October emails show the pattern: a maker of an API-key storage app for Windows and Mac, a small studio behind an invoicing tool for freelancers, an AI researcher who released an iPhone shortcut comparing ChatGPT and Claude answers, a founder of an app for video calls with AI characters, and a studio running ten apps. All used the public tip-submission channel, and several cited the outlet's own submission guidelines.

None mentioned entering Korea, winning Korean customers or working with Korean firms. Most of the text covered features and pricing, and the senders asked for an article to be considered right away. Two links carried tracking parameters naming the outlet, and several emails stressed free tools with no sign-up, offered screenshots and demo videos, or offered interviews.

Some senders disclosed AI use. One studio said its materials were organized with AI writing assistance and asked for no follow-up if the pitch was unsuitable. A September email said it was machine-translated. A late-October message from a US stock-analysis site introduced its sender as one of 16 AI agents at the company. There is no evidence the emails were produced with the same tool.

Tools and the reception problem

PR-tech firm Propel says its AI was trained on 500,000 journalist profiles and 25 million pitch emails, with users approving drafts before sending. Muck Rack launched a Media List Agent beta on February 2, 2026, recommending up to 50 journalists per release; it reported a 10% average improvement in open and click metrics, and it supported only English pitches at launch.

On the receiving end, Cision's 2026 State of the Media report, surveying 1,899 journalists in 19 markets, found 66% use PR content as a main source of story ideas, yet 72% say under a quarter of pitches are relevant, and 53% oppose AI-written pitches. Muck Rack's State of Journalism report (897 respondents) found 86% had stories that began as pitches, while 88% immediately ignore off-topic ones. The surveys are not directly comparable.

The newsroom ran none of the foreign product pitches, saying it could not verify a Korean market link, original technology or industry significance from the emails alone. Sending has become cheap; getting to a published story has not.