[3] Since its establishment in 1998, Soompi has grown into one of the longest-running, and most frequently visited websites providing coverage of Korean music, celebrity news and entertainment.

[4][5][6][7] Initially its visitors were mostly Koreans residing in foreign nations, with over 1.2 million people visiting the site.

However, as of 2012, the majority of its members are non-Koreans in the United States, Canada, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia, among others.

[8][9] Soompi was founded in 1998 by Korean American web developer Susan Kang,[10][11] In February 2011, it was acquired by Enswers, Inc.,[12][13][14] a Seoul-based IT venture company specializing in video search technology,[15] and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of it.

When Enswers was acquired by another company, Soompi found a new home with Crunchyroll, a U.S.-based VOD site that specializes in anime, in 2013.