If you’re a Korean pop (K-pop) fan, you’ve probably tuned into 88.3JIA K-POP on the Camokakis app, hosted by Siyun. The 24-hour music stream features the best of Korean pop music, with the latest K-Pop news and happenings.
DJ Siyun is just as passionate about K-pop as her Gen-Z listeners. In fact, she’s been a fan of anything Korean – also known as Hallyu or the Korean wave – since she was about 13 years old.
“My curiosity about Korea and its culture began with my love for Korean food,” she shares.
“Over the years, my curiosity developed into a deeper interest in K-pop and Korean dramas. I was a teenager when I realised how much I enjoyed them. The first K-pop group I liked was TVXQ – I would listen to their songs repeatedly during my student years.
“My comfort food consisted of Korean soup dishes, and watching K-dramas was one of my favourite things to do in my free time. I’d secretly hoped that one day I could master the Korean language and work in a field related to my love for everything Korean. I never imagined that this dream would one day become a reality, and I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that my current job is centred around K-pop and Hallyu. As for mastering Korean, it still remains on my wish list and goals.”
The appeal of Hallyu
More than just Korean entertainment, Siyun is obsessed with Korea’s food culture and Hangul (the Korean alphabet). She says that for many people, kimchi and Korean BBQ may be the first things they think of when it comes to Korean food, but Korea has many other delicious and unique dishes worth discovering. There are so many other Korean dishes to try, like sundubu-jjigae (Korean soft tofu stew), ganjang gejang (soy marinated raw crab), cheonggukjang jjigae (fermented soybean paste stew) and dwaeji-gukbap (Korean pork soup). Even when it comes to kimchi, Siyun says that there is a very wide variety of choices.
“And as for Hangul, I first learned about its creation by King Sejong after watching the 2011 drama, Deep Rooted Tree,” she adds.
“This deepened my understanding of how Hangul came to be and made me realise how profound it is.”
As well as K-dramas, Siyun likes watching Korean variety shows and online programmes.
It’s no surprise that Siyun has travelled to Korea several times, most recently to Seoul in April for her pre-wedding photo shoot. She’s also visited Busan in the past.
Favourite K-pop bands and K-dramas
Siyun believes that K-dramas are popular with Singaporeans because of their high production quality – beautiful cinematography, strong acting, and impressive visuals of the actors, complemented by engaging storylines and catchy soundtracks.
She points out that many K-dramas also focus on universal themes like family, love, and personal growth, so audiences can relate to them. Plus, they provide a connection to Korean culture.
“What I find most appealing about K-dramas is how they can evoke a wide range of emotions while also also providing warmth, comfort, and valuable life lessons. Korean entertainment has a unique way of connecting you to both the culture and the rich history of the country.”
Similarly, K-pop’s popularity is fuelled by the captivating visuals and skills of K-pop idols, unique concepts, catchy tunes, and powerful choreography, all of which attract a large fanbase, she adds.
Siyun’s first favourite K-pop group was TVXQ, originally a five-member boy band made up of U-Know Yunho, Max Changmin, Hero Jaejoong, Xiah Junsu and Micky Yoochun.
She admired the group for their vocal abilities, harmonies, and powerful dance performances. Unfortunately, TVXQ is no longer active as a five-member group and Siyun says that she regrets never going to see them in concert.
She was also into CNBLUE and loves their music to this day.
“Their live performances are truly impressive – in fact, I went to support them when they performed in Singapore this April, and I’m looking forward to attending more CNBLUE concerts in the future,” she shares.
If you’re new to K-pop, Siyun recommends listening to CNBLUE, IU, Blackpink and Twice. If you like new-generation groups, she says that NewJeans, aespa and IVE are worth a listen. Naturally, there are countless other K-pop groups and artists worth recommending, far too many to name in one go. If you’re not sure where to start, you can tune in to 88.3JIA K-POP on the Camokakis app and enjoy a stream of K-pop songs!
Siyun longs to someday meet Jaejoong and CNBLUE.
“They hold a special place in my heart because I’ve listened to them for so many years,” she says.
As for K-dramas, Siyun is especially drawn to storylines with fantasy elements, such as time travel. She’s a huge fan of Queen of Tears (2024), Doctor Slump (2024), Twinkling Watermelon (2023), 18 Again (2020), and 49 Days (2011).
Tune in for the best of K-pop and lots more
K-Pop fans can sample 88.3JIA K-POP on 88.3JIA every weekday from 11pm to 12am. They can also catch the latest K-Pop content on Siyun’s Instagram and TikTok accounts.
Siyun says that besides discussing K-pop on her programme, she hopes to engage all her listeners – including NSmen – by talking about other topics that are relevant to them, like daily life and stress.
“Through conversations and music, I hope that my show helps them relax and offers a break from the daily grind. I also take the opportunity to give shout-outs to our NSmen listeners, to show my appreciation for their service as well as to express my support for them.”
Don’t miss the Lifestyle content on the CAMOKAKIS app, and follow 88.3JIA and Siyun’s socials for the latest updates: Instagram @883jia, TikTok @883jia and Facebook @883jia, and Instagram @883siyun and TikTok @883siyun
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