Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Meet the Kennedy’s — a K-Pop obsessed family from Perth captivated by K-culture who have already travelled to Korea’s capital Seoul twice.
Mother Kate has embraced her daughters’ love for the genre’s catchy tunes and collectibles, with Elle, 9, and Stella, 5, even camping out at hotels near cinemas showing K-Pop films.
Elle is so smitten with the foreign world, she’s taking Korean language lessons to understand it all.
The eldest daughter’s entry into the colourful world of K-Pop came via YouTube, drawn in by world-conquering groups BTS and BLACKPINK before stumbling upon Stray Kids.
Interestingly, the latter comprises two Sydney-raised members in 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 moved to Vietnam in July as Kate is able to manage her pyjama business Kip and Boo remotely, though the trio have travelled home several times since.
They are planning a return to Perth in the near future.
But for now, if you ask the girls, being a little closer to their favourite boy band Stray Kids has been a popular choice.
“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 of their favourite group, the kids have enjoyed draping band posters across their bedrooms walls, and rocking K-Pop themed gear at 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 at 16 countries.
Ironically, while the Kennedys have been living and travelling abroad, they’ve missed out on perhaps the most significant taste of K-Pop culture their hometown has experienced.
Audrey Nuna starred in the animated K-Pop Demon Hunters, voicing 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.”
