ILLIT has proven their hot popularity by winning the Rookie of the Year award at Japan's top music awards, even before their official debut in the country.

According to their agency, BELIFLAB, ILLIT (Yoona, Minju, Mocha, Wonhee, Iroha) was selected as the recipient of the "Rookie Award" at the 66th Japan Record Awards held on the 21st.

ILLIT shared, "Our goal this year was to win the Rookie Award, and we are so happy and grateful to have achieved that dream. We will continue to grow and show new music and performances to our fans."

The Japan Record Awards is a music award ceremony hosted by the Japan Composers Association, which started in 1959 and holds the longest tradition and the most authority in Japan.

It is the first time in 13 years since Girls' Generation and 2NE1 that a K-pop girl group has won the Rookie Award. Notably, it is very rare for an artist who has not yet debuted in Japan to win this award, and ILLIT is the first to achieve this.

ILLIT has received great love in Japan this year with their Korean album. The title track Magnetic from their first mini-album SUPER REAL ME, released in March, surpassed 100 million cumulative plays on both the Japan Record Association and Oricon in the shortest time among all-time female group songs.

True to their role in leading the short-form trend, the song also ranked 5th on the Japanese list for TikTok’s "Song of the Summer 2024."

ILLIT has also stood out in various charts, ranking first in the "New Artist" category of the Tower Records Music 2024 Mid-Year Streaming Rankings and first in the "Artist" category of the Shibuya 109 Lab's Trend Award 2024.

ILLIT will also appear in the Kohaku Uta Gassen broadcast on NHK every December 31st. The Kohaku Uta Gassen is Japan's representative year-end special music program, where popular singers gather, boasting unparalleled presence in terms of viewership and buzz.

Meanwhile, ILLIT is actively promoting their second mini-album I'LL LIKE YOU with the track Tick-Tack. The catchy melody of Tick-Tack has gained popularity on various social media platforms, ranking 1st in both Korea and Japan for trending audio on Instagram Reels on the 20th.

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Choi Si Hoon, known from Single’s Inferno and newlywed husband of singer Ailee, is facing backlash after being linked to a controversy from Wavve’s queer reality show ToGetHer.

Fans discovered that Choi is allegedly the CEO of the influencer agency representing Ri Won, a cast member now at the center of a growing scandal.

The situation started when castmate Han Gyeol spoke up, claiming Ri Won once suggested an overseas trip that felt more like a shady meeting than a casual hangout.

“I thought it was a fun vacation invite at first,” Han Gyeol said, “but when they started talking about meals and date-like things, I realized something was wrong. It felt like an inappropriate setup.”
Han Gyeol added, “Using someone’s sexuality as a shield for suspicious actions is not okay in this industry.”

Ri Won responded by saying it was all a misunderstanding and that the trip was mentioned casually during a conversation about food. “We joked about going to that country after talking about food,” Ri Won said.

However, things got more intense when Ri Won admitted to having a past as a 'beotbang' (adult streaming) BJ. “I know I’m not trustworthy right now, and I appeared on TV while hiding my past. That’s why I shared some proof—I was desperate,” Ri Won explained.

Ri Won also shared a blurred message from another cast member that accused them of fake dating and lying about knowing someone from Billboard. “You said you’d introduce me to a Billboard contact. Then give me their name and title,” the message read. “You just keep switching your targets.”

Ri Won replied, “He’s the team leader at Billboard Korea and also my influencer agency CEO.”
This comment led online users to dig deeper—and some claimed the CEO Ri Won mentioned is none other than Choi Si Hoon, Ailee’s husband.

Currently on his honeymoon with Ailee, Choi is now getting unwanted attention. Some netizens brought up his alleged past as an adult BJ and now, his possible involvement in this controversy.

On Ailee’s Instagram post from April 30, one fan wrote, “Unnie, sorry to bother you during your honeymoon, but please search Choi Si Hoon’s name. A female BJ said she’s signed to his company, and he supposedly arranged a meeting for her with a just-turned 19-year-old girl.”

As the issue grew, Ri Won spoke out again on May 1 to calm things down. “The person I mentioned in the messages was just someone who gave me advice,” Ri Won clarified. “He’s not my agency CEO, like some people assumed. I thought he could help with music, but he never made any business offer.”

Ri Won ended by saying, “I’m sorry for causing any confusion and discomfort to others with my personal remarks.”

So far, Choi Si Hoon and Ailee have not made public statements about the situation.

Source: [1]