Written by Intern and Guest Contributor Divya Rawat

Harry Jun is a Sydney based comedian, host and cartoonist. He stars in ABC’s Good Game: Spawn Point, Good Game Spawn Squad, and co-hosts an SBS podcast, Say Kimchi with Shona Yang. A very big mouthful and a very busy guy!

Jun started performing stand-up comedy in 2017. He got the 2024 Moosehead Award Recipient for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In addition, Jun performed in the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala and the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase both 2024. These are just a few of his achievements, visibility and accolades!

And if you thought that was the end of his CV – you thought wrong. Jun hosted the Korean Film Festival in Australia 2022-2024 and released his stand-up hour I Grew Here on YouTube.

Growing up in Wollongong, Jun was the only Korean kid in his school, apart from his brother and did not give learning the Korean language any importance. Only when he went to University in Seoul, that he took learning the Korean language as something critical for his life. 

In a recent interview with Being Asian Australian, Jun discussed a number of topics including Korean culture in Australia and what’s like for the Korean diaspora community growing up Aussie. He also browsed the question of what does it mean to be Korean-Australian and how can you connect with both cultures.

In an introduction about himself, Jun spoke about who he is and what can people expect from him and his work.

“My name is Harry Jun and I am a stand-up comedian. I have been doing comedy since 2017. I have the Friendship Safari that is happening in different Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth) and the Succulent Comedy Showcase at the Concourse, Chatswood with other Asian Australian comedians”.

“I have always loved jokes and comedy. Mitch Hedberg was my first comedian and I have loved his work. I decided to have a go at it. I thought it was now or never to do stand-up comedy”. 

Jun’s podcast Say Kimchi project with Kozziecom’s Shona Yang explores Korean culture. Jun discussed the intended impact and message that this podcast send to the Korean diaspora community in Australia.

“We pitched the podcast. The Korean diaspora community is growing in Australia and we decided to do a podcast that explores the Korean culture or topics that is not well known here in the Korean diaspora such as growing up Korean Australian, Korean beauty standards, K-pop, Korean food, battling stereotypes, etc. They might not know certain topics or culture. We pitch it. The podcast offers a snapshot of Korean culture through a Korean-Australian lens”. 

Growing up and being the only Korean kid in high school (asides from his own brother) was an interesting time for Jun. It was a time of realisation and a time of trying to work out who he is.

“As the only Korean kid apart from my brother, it was not lonely and there were other people at school. I did not feel connected to my Korean culture while I was in school. Not until I went to university”, Jun stated.

“Nowadays ( and since I started uni), I feel more connected to my Korean culture, as I went to study at Sogang University a private Jesuit research university in Mapo, at Seoul, South Korea for my Korean language course. Also exploring Korean culture through my work helps as well”. 

Jun continued and spoke about relationship with his father – one which was strained and limited, due to language barriers etc (growing up). Now with proficiency in Korean, his conversations with his father are deeper and fruitful.

“When my father speaks English… it’s almost like he has a word limit. I did grow up thinking there was a bit of an emotional gulf between us. But when I started to see it from his side of the court… his language that he’s fully confident in is Korean. And I hadn’t made the attempt to step over to his side. Once I had, suddenly the conversations were becoming more frequent. We’d have these beautiful conversations.”

Finally, Jun provided sound advice for other Asian Australians looking to start a career in being a comedian and/or TV hosts. A lot of it according to Jun is to take up any and all opportunities and develop a body of work.

“Just keep trying looking for work and opportunities out there. Well, with the skills that you have as a person and being passionate in working with the media, there are many opportunities out there. I mean most people want to work for the big media organizations such as the ABC and SBS. However, working independently is also good you can work on Youtube or social media like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also collaborate with people in the media industry. Work with people who are good with their work in the media industry”.

To find out more about Harry Jun, you can check out his website by clicking here or going to the link: https://harryjun.com .

Divya Rawat is a writer based in Sydney. She holds a Diploma in Screen and Media (Journalism) and has experience in different types of media including writing news articles, editing videos, audios, conducting interviews etc. She has freelanced with local magazines and written articles for media outlets such as Sydney Observer Magazine.