K-POP Connection - 2025.11.20

do your jeans feel a little tighter these days i'm dj brian and i'll be back right after the song Welcome to another episode of K-Pop Connection. It is Thursday, November 20th, 2025, and we just heard NCT U with baggy jeans. Now, if you've noticed your favorite jeans feeling a little tighter than usual lately, well... You've definitely been not alone. In fact, new data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency says one in three Korean adults is now medically classified.

As obese. Oh, my gosh. Now, do keep in mind that in Korea, someone is considered to be medically obese when their body mass index or BMI hits above 25 kilograms. per meter squared, square meters, which I don't know, which is much lower than other countries. That's very low to me. Standards like Japan is 27.7, China's 28, and the US and European countries is 30. It's very low. However, the report

is still concerning because it shows 34.4% of Korean adults have a BMI of 25 and above. And the figure is up by nearly a third compared to a decade ago. Now the survey... which covered over 230,000 people age 19 and older, showed a significant gender gap as the obesity rate. Among men reached 41.4%, while for women it stood at 23%. Men in the 30s and 40s led the stats with more than half falling.

into the obese category while for women the rate increased with age peaking among those in their 60s and 70s and it's not for lack of trying nearly three out of four adults said They try to lose or manage their weight at least once in the past year. It seems everyone is on a diet these days. Mm-hmm. You're trying. I'm trying. But what's going on? The KDCA warns that westernized diets and sedentary lifestyles are pushing these numbers upward. Remember how we talked about sedentary, Sam? Well...

He may be more realistic than we thought. So maybe this is a good reminder to take that post-lunch walk or at least to stop pretending your bubble tea or spicy pumpkin drink doesn't count as dessert. Well, here's a song that motivates you to keep moving. This is Blackpink with Jump. Dio!

Hey guys, here's a quick announcement on various ways y'all can tune into our show. We have apps you guys can download for free and listen to us conveniently through. The KBS Kong, KBS World Radio, and KBS World Radio on Air apps. If you're listening to us via podcast, which can be found on our website or through any podcast app, don't forget to subscribe and rate us five stars so more listeners can join in on the fun.

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And meanwhile, for all listeners in Malaysia, you guys can enjoy KBS World Radio programs on Malaysia's Astro Radio. Just make sure to download the SYOK Shock app and find KBS World Radio channel for 24-hour nonstop streaming. And for more information... Come visit our website world.kbs.co.kr or our gram at KBS K-Pop. While you're there, don't forget to post up your song requests, comments, and your answers to our Y2C question of the week for a chance to win a prize. Now, back to our show.

And let's get ready for more music. We got 전상근 with If It Were Me, 나였으면. And then Ben with Grass Flower, 풀꽃. That is right. Stop what you're doing. Take a break from work.

And just enjoy the info that we have in store for you guys right now. It might be right up your alley. Now, I'm not sure if we should be talking about food right now after discussing Korea's growing obesity right. But there's a trend that we have to discuss. Now, if you've been wondering why half the drinks in Korea suddenly look like they're health drinks, do not worry.

Your eyes aren't deceiving you. We are officially living in the era of the matcha take over. That's why everything's pretty much green. Now, there's just something about that calm emerald green glow of matcha latte. that convinces people it might actually fix their entire life. And to be fair, the creamy texture and that sweet, earthy flavor certainly helps a lot of people. Not me, though. Nope, because I'm allergic.

Now these days, it feels like everyone in Korea is sipping, snapping, or swirling some matcha into everything. Now cafes across the country, and basically the whole world, has turned their menus green. Matcha lattes, matcha cookies, matcha cakes, and even matcha pizza and dumplings? But matcha's appeal isn't just about its taste, because matcha uses the entire ground tea leaf.

Unlike steep green tea, it packs a stronger flavor and a more concentrated punch of nutrients. Market analysts say its global boom is fueled partly by health claims. The stuff is. chock full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory polyphenols. It even contains rutin, a compound linked to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

And of course, there's a tiny catch. Caffeine! Now a single cup of matcha can contain anywhere from 38 to 89 milligrams. That's enough to turn one cup of relaxing tea time into... Why am I wide awake at 3 a.m.? Mm-hmm. The witching hour. Now, if you overdo it or take it with your usual cup of joe. So, whether you love matcha for the health benefits, the flavor, or the magical green glow,

One thing's clear. Matcha isn't just a trend anymore. It's a global mood. And right now, the mood is very, very green. Well, if you're going to be listening to my show. At 3 o'clock in the morning, here's some music for you to check out. We got Minoi with Tea Time featuring Shipsenshi and Rose with 3AM.

Your two cents. You guys know that we love to connect with our listeners and hear your fun answers and creative answers. And this is where I get to read out your answers from a weekly question posted. from our gram. And you get to tell us your personal experiences and your thoughts for a chance to win a prize. And our Y2C question from last week was marrying your soulmate versus finding your dream job. And of course, why?

Would you rather marry your soulmate or land a job that you've only dreamed about? Both sound too good to be true. And if you had to choose just one, which one would you pick? And of course... You get to tell us about your soulmate or dream job. For a chance to win a prize, we're going to get right into it. This is from at THRK1730. Landing my dream job is my next life. Because it's to become a rich CEO's wife who is loved by her husband. Now, our writer Karen said that's her...

Dream job as well because her husband apparently that means is not a rich CEO. So he's probably the opposite. He's probably a poor man. It's making me think of a... a song that we already have set up for you guys but it's the perfect song for this whole moment right now uh yeah you guys are probably sensing what song it's gonna be you know yeah because everybody

I feel like once in your life, even if you say like, I don't care about money, money you can make. Money doesn't make the world go round. But there has been a moment in your life. Whether it's in your teens, your 20s, your 30s, or even if you're not at that age right now, you're going to realize, yeah, we don't want to have our lives around money all the time. But there are times when you realize, wow.

money could really help me out right now. Whether it be taxes, whether it be a bill, whether it could be something that you really want to purchase right now. You know, for some women, it could be this amazing bag that you want to buy. Or for a family, a home that you want to buy. Yeah, so that makes sense. So with that said, we have the perfect song for THRK1730. And of course, Karen, we got Espo with Rich Man.

All right, that was Espa with Rich Man. Well, they're rich, so they don't need a rich husband. They don't need a rich CEO, even though a lot of people in their lives want a rich CEO. And we're going to get into the next one. It's from at Neslin Rose Joseph. Definitely marrying my soulmate. In today's world, finding someone who loves you for who you truly are has become so rare. With all the blocking, unblocking, emotional games and messy breakups, genuine love feels sacred and honestly...

A dream job is something you can always achieve when you're with the right person. If I'm blessed enough to marry my soulmate, that's all I'd ever want. The way you wrote it is true, but at the same time... Like what if the opportunity comes knocking at your door for your dream job and your soulmate is, I don't know how I'm going to word this.

Let me think about this again before I word this and mess up the whole thing. Yeah. But yeah, I guess the soulmate is very important as well because what if the soulmate walks out of your life and you never get to see the soulmate ever, ever again?

So that's very important as well, too. Yeah. Moving on, we have one from at Tasmia Tassin. I choose landing on my dream job because it has already become a hassle to even find a proper job.

Let alone a dream job. Plus, I need to pay my bills and meals. Song request, gimme gimme. Bye. All hours. Yes. Yeah. I actually never heard this song before, so definitely curious about this song. But... yeah choosing your dream job i get it because yeah i know a lot of friends who are having a hard time right now even finding a job and i know uh even back in the day a lot of people

choose to go to college they graduate from their you know university of choice and then even after graduation and graduating they're stuck at home because they can't find jobs. So if you can land your dream job, that could be monumental. It could be something, you know, that you've been... looking for a goal that you might not be able to ever achieve again. So yeah, marrying your soulmate or landing a dream job, that can be oof.

I don't know, earlier you said, the person before this said that, oh, you can always find your dream job again. Dream jobs don't come knocking, you know, that opportunity doesn't always come knocking at your door, so that's why. Neither does your soulmate. This is a trick question. It's this or that. You can't have both in life. Yeah, that's hard to decide on.

Anyways, it is time for music. First, we have Jiko featuring IU with Soulmate. And they have All Hours with Gimme Gimme. Alright, that was All Hours with Gimme Gimme. And we still got more fun answers. But we still also have a winner to announce. So you guys can't go anywhere. The next one is from at Giant Johnny. Marry my soulmate.

I think I could be very happy and chill at work if I got to come home and spend the rest of my time with a perfect partner. Although I'm having trouble imagining a specific dream job that feels attainable even in this fantasy. Actually, that'd be true. I guess even if you found your dream job, you can't just be with anybody. Because then if you had your dream job and then just with just a regular...

nobody that you truly loved at home, it wouldn't feel the same. But if you're with your soulmate, the person you truly love and you feel like you have a connection with, and you just have a regular job, a nine to five, that soulmate. could be the reason why your job feels great. Because you're at work and knowing that you can go home to somebody you truly love and care about, that cares about you, could just make your whole day feel uplifting and great.

And warm inside. So I think. In a way. Oof. Okay. If I was single. And I chose to be single for the rest of my life. I would stick with the dream job. But if I knew I wanted to be with somebody and a partner and someone I truly loved and not be single and I wanted to be with somebody at home, then I'd choose a soulmate and just a normal like...

Boring job. That would be my answer for today's question for myself. And there you have it. And now we're going to get into our last answer for today. And it's from Caleb Abbas from the Book of Faces. Dear KBS, I live in. Thanks to KBS World for giving me a chance to share my experience. To think about it in a more practical sense, I'd like to say...

would be incredibly challenging to provide a definite answer because both options are incredibly significant in different ways. Marrying your soulmate can bring emotional fulfillment. A companionship and a lifelong partnership, which are fundamental to human happiness, which are also very important. For me, I was lucky to marry my soulmate. Her name is Shotzi.

I am lucky to have a committed and dedicated loving wife in my life. Well, you know, applaud to you. I applaud you. You're lucky to find your soulmate. And anyone right now listening that has the perfect soulmate, your partner for life, your partner in crime, I'm very happy that you have that in your life. And you deserve that. Everyone deserves that. But if you have that already, you know, I'm very jealous.

And I hope you guys stay together for eternity and stay healthy, be happy, and you deserve it, you know. And I hope that you guys support each other and you're always there for each other. And, you know, about the dream job thing, maybe you being with that person makes your job feel like a dream job. So with that said, we have our last song for the segment, but we still have a winner to announce. So don't go anywhere.

The song is by Staining Egg, Yes You Kure No. We just heard Yes You Kure No by Staining Egg. And now it is time to announce today's winner. And today's winner. for our weekly Y2C is at THRK1730. Congratulations. And if that's you, let us know your mailing address by sending it to our email. kpop at kbs.co.kr and we're gonna send you a prize but don't forget to include your id your gram handle your message board id your book of faces id in the email

And, of course, we'll find you if you can. And if you could put the date as well that you've won, it'd be better for us to find you. And remember, you can always find out if you've won or not by looking under our playlist at world.kbs.co.kr. Scroll your mouse to the Purple Radio on the top right-hand corner on our website, and you'll see K-Pop Connection in the list of programs on the pop-up window.

Click on the link to enter our page and you'll see the playlist tab. And the winners are always on the Wednesday and Thursday playlist. And don't forget to check out the 2025 K-pop year-end survey on our website as well. We're collecting your votes. on the best K-pop artists and songs for the year until December 1st. And as we do...

Each year, announce the results through a special year-end show. We'll be giving away small gifts through a random draw among those who participate in the survey, so make sure to send in your votes. And now we've got music for you guys. First up, Itsy with Tunnel Vision and CT Dream Cold Coffee. All right, that's all the time that we have for y'all today. Thank you all for tuning in once again and taking us out. We have a song called SOS by...

Moon Biel from Mamamoo. Our producer is Chaeaeung Kwon. Our writer is Karen Choi. I'm Brian Ju. This has been K-pop Connection. You may disconnect now.