Meet the Kennedy family — a K-Pop obsessed clan from Perth who have fully embraced Korean culture and have already made two trips to Seoul, South Korea's vibrant capital.
Mother Kate has wholeheartedly supported her daughters' passion for the genre's infectious melodies and collectible merchandise. Elle, aged 9, and Stella, aged 5, have even camped out at hotels near cinemas screening K-Pop films to catch early showings.
Elle is so captivated by this foreign world that she is taking Korean language lessons to better understand the music and culture she loves.
The eldest daughter's journey into the colourful realm of K-Pop began on YouTube, where she was drawn in by globally dominant groups like BTS and BLACKPINK before discovering Stray Kids. Interestingly, the latter group includes two members raised in Sydney: Bang Chan and Felix.
"From there it really took off," Kate said. "She was playing it at home all the time and it gradually became something we all got into as a family."
The Kennedys relocated to Vietnam in July, as Kate manages her pyjama business Kip and Boo remotely. However, the trio have returned to Perth several times since and are planning to move back in the near future.
For now, the girls are thrilled to be a bit closer to their favourite boy band, Stray Kids. "Elle begged me to take her to Brazil to see them, but that's not going to happen, unfortunately," the mother added. "We did go to a Stray Kids movie screening a few weeks ago, but we had to stay in a hotel near the cinema because there is only one showing a day, at 8:30am. It was a whole thing; we were all kitted out."
In addition to owning every album from their favourite group, the children have decorated their bedroom walls with band posters and proudly wear K-Pop themed outfits to school.
The fandom even extends to the dinner table. "We've been lining up to get the BTS collectibles but love the idea of a Korean-inspired HelloFresh K-Pop Dinner Hunters meal kit so we can enjoy all elements of the culture we are so immersed in at the moment," Kate said.
Her children are more widely travelled than most, with young Elle's passport already stamped in 16 countries. Ironically, while the Kennedys have been living and travelling abroad, they missed out on a significant K-Pop culture event in their hometown. Audrey Nuna starred in the animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters, voicing the character Mira, and performed an exclusive Australian live show at Optus Stadium in March for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Opening Ceremony.
"We did hear about it and were actually a bit bummed we couldn't make it," Kate admitted. "It's really cool to see an artist like Audrey Nuna performing in Perth. It shows how big Korean music and culture has become in Australia."
