PETALING JAYA: After concluding her compulsory education, Subang-born Sabrina Azhar applied for several scholarships and played the waiting game as she had no firm decisions on where to further her studies.
“I was never aiming for South Korea, it just sort of happened,” the 22-year-old tells FMT.
She wound up securing a nine-month placement in Intec Education College’s Korean Preparatory Programme before departing for Seoul to study mechanical engineering at Hanyang University.
There, the social media enthusiast started posting on various platforms about her life as a Malaysian student in South Korea. Her number of followers began to grow, and kept increasing.
“I didn’t expect to go viral. It was just something I liked to do in my free time,” she says.
Thanks to the “Look East Policy”, East Asia’s reputation as an education hub has skyrocketed, and Malaysians are fast becoming interested in Korea as an option to further their education. Sabrina’s inbox was swarming with questions about what studying there was like, which prompted her to address them in the form of YouTube videos.
Her efforts in bridging Korean and Malaysian culture have not gone unnoticed: Blimey, the largest South Korean YouTube channel targeting Malaysia, invited her to be on their show, “3&More”.
The programme handpicked several Korean men with virtually no knowledge of Malaysia and Islam, and aimed for cultural exchange by setting them up on a series of blind dates with Malaysian Muslim women.
Well-received by Koreans and Malaysians alike, “3&More” has been viewed upward of 43 million times on YouTube and Viu. Seeing the success of the show, Sabrina realised intercultural relations do not always have to be boring.
With this in mind, she started churning out educational and entertaining content, particularly ones that focused on what life was like in South Korea for a Malaysian Muslim hijabi.
Today, Sabrina has amassed a following of about 390,000 on Instagram. Currently in her third year of university, she aims to balance her studies with creating content, both of which she takes seriously.
Occasionally, the pressure does get to her. “I try to take a breather, and I find dancing helps me destress the most,” says Sabrina, who is represented by WILD Entertainment Group, the only South Korean entertainment agency that does not shy away from signing hijabi talents.
The rising star is determined to put Malaysia on the map. Two months ago, she was chosen to host, translate, and interview K-Pop girl group TWICE for Shopee’s live session in Seoul.
Snippets of the session were recorded and uploaded on TikTok, with Malaysians exclaiming how proud they were to see local Muslim representation.
It has become clear Sabrina is now the go-to talent for projects that require either Malaysian or Muslim representation in Korea. Early last month, she co-hosted a cooking show for Halal Restaurant Week 2021 with the winner of the third season of “MasterChef” Korea, Choi Gwang-ho.
She helped the esteemed chef cook up a halal version of “kimchijeon”, a type of Korean pancake, while simultaneously introducing Korean viewers to a beloved Malaysian snack – banana fritters.
Another notable project Sabrina was involved in was for Arirang Food & Travel, where she, alongside host Justin Hyuk Choi, explored the district of Gangnam to learn more about cultural dances in Korea.
Asked whether the attention she has garnered makes her feel like a spokesperson, she says, “It’s a given that they’d be curious. I was once stopped by a lady who wanted to know what I was wearing on my head,” she recalls, adding that people have always been respectful of her beliefs.
According to her, South Korea still has a long way to go when it comes to understanding and accommodating Muslims. “It is not the haven or sanctuary my viewers back home think it is, and I try to convey that through my content every day,” she says.
Still, Sabrina believes small changes can make a big difference. “I really don’t mind taking the time to explain things to Koreans. I understand they’ve grown up in a very homogeneous society.
“If my answers help them understand a little bit more about my homeland and my religion, it’s all good.”