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About

I'm Ami. I groom dogs for a living — and I read Korean.

That combination is the whole reason this site exists.

Ami Lee at her grooming studio, My Best Friend Hawaii in Honolulu

I'm Ami Lee, the owner of My Best Friend Hawaii, a boutique Asian-fusion grooming studio in Honolulu. After more than ten years grooming in Hawaii, Japan and Korea — somewhere north of 200 dogs a month in the busy season, from anxious rescue terriers to 90-pound doodles who think the dryer is a personal enemy — I opened a studio tailored to exactly how I'd want my own dogs cared for.

I'm Korean-American and I grew up bilingual. Every time I visit family in Seoul I notice the same thing in the pet aisle: it's different. Better shampoos with calmer ingredient lists. Harnesses that fit and wore like designer goods. Grooming tools I literally could not buy in the US. The same culture that turned Korean skincare into a global obsession had quietly pointed itself at dogs.

Why I started reviewing

I'd come home with a suitcase of Korean pet gear, use it on client dogs, and then watch owners struggle to find any honest English information about it. The English-language affiliate sites either ignored Korean brands entirely or copied marketing copy they clearly couldn't read.

So I started writing it down. What held up on the table. What was overhyped. How to actually buy it from the US without getting burned on shipping. Korean Paws is that notebook, made public.

My bilingual edge

When I review a Korean product, I'm not working from a US press release. I read the Naver blog reviews, scroll the Coupang buyer photos, and watch the Korean YouTube teardowns — the same primary sources Korean shoppers use. Then I test the product myself, usually on the dogs I groom every week. That's research almost no English-only site can replicate, and it's the only reason I think this site is worth your time.

My editorial standards

  • I test before I recommend. If I haven't used it on a real dog, I tell you so plainly.
  • Affiliate links never change a verdict. I earn commissions, but I rank products the same whether or not a program exists. Plenty of things I love have no affiliate program at all.
  • I name the downsides. Every review has a "who it's not for." Shipping costs, sizing quirks, import hassle — it all goes in.
  • I update when products change. Formulas and hardware get revised; I revisit and re-test.

Affiliate disclosure

Korean Paws is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links go to Korean marketplaces — Coupang Global, Gmarket Global, YesStyle — which use their own separate tracking programs. These commissions keep the lights on and the testing honest. They never change which products I recommend.