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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The When Life Gives You Tangerines cast melted fans’ hearts once again — this time off-screen!

On April 15, the VIP premiere of the film Yadang took place at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, and it quickly turned into a Poksak reunion.

The event was already buzzing with big names like Uhm Tae Woong (who made his first appearance in 8 years), Lee Min Ho, Ha Ji Won, Lee Joo Young, Hyeri, Lee Yu Bi, Kim Sung Kyun, and even Single’s Inferno 4's Lee Si An.

But the surprise appearance of severalWhen Life Gives You Tangerines cast members made fans super emotional.

IU, who played Gwansik’s daughter Geum Myeong in the Netflix series, was spotted quietly entering the theater wearing a mask. A fan who noticed her shared a photo, writing, “Poksak daughter Geum Myeong is here!”

Kim Seon Ho also showed up and quickly got attention. Fans recognized him despite the mask and commented, “Chung Seop is here too!” and “Park Hae Joon’s son-in-law came!” Kim Seon Ho made a special appearance in the series as Geum Myeong’s husband.

Kang Yoo Seok, who played Eun Myeong Yi (Gwansik’s son), also came to support his on-screen dad. Fans left sweet comments like “The son is so thoughtful!”

And of course, Choi Dae Hoon — better known as “Hak Ssi Ahjussi” — made fans smile with his bright energy. People couldn’t stop talking about him, saying things like “He came to see his in-laws’ movie,” and “The whole When Life Gives You Tangerines family is here!”

Before the event, Park Hae Joon shared in an interview with Xports News that he wasn’t sure who would show up, saying, “Everyone’s really busy, so it depends on the situation. But I’d be really happy if we could meet again after a long time.”

Well, they did meet again — and fans couldn’t be happier.

In Poksak, Park Hae Joon played the loving father Gwansik, but in Yadang, he takes on a much tougher role as a drug squad detective who never gives up on catching criminals. His transformation is already gaining attention from fans eager to see him in a new light.

Meanwhile, Yadang officially hit theaters on April 16.

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