ILLIT’s Public Support For FIFTY FIFTY Sparks Heated Debate

Many were flustered when the posts appeared.

ILLIT members recently showed public support for FIFTY FIFTY’s new comeback, taking aback many fans.

illit_official
ILLIT | @illit_official/Instagram
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FIFTY FIFTY | @we_fiftyfifty/Instagram

Nowadays, two idol groups collaborating for dance challenges that promote each group’s respective comeback has become more of a norm in K-Pop. But it doesn’t happen very often that a group would go out of their way to post about another group’s comeback on their official channels to show them support.

So, when multiple ILLIT members posted about FIFTY FIFTY’s new song, “SOS,” on ILLIT’s official social media platforms, fans were surprised. Members Wonhee, Iroha, and Yunah all posted similar messages on X (former Twitter), congratulating FIFTY FIFTY members Chanelle and Yewon over their official debut as the new members of FIFTY FIFTY.

“Chanelle unnie and Yewon unnie, many many congratulations on your debut!

I want to stand on the same stage with you guys.

I will always root for you.”

— Wonhee

“Chanelle unnie! Yewon unnie!

Congratulatiooons on your debut!!

Let’s cheer each other on!! I’m rooting for you!!”

— Iroha

“Chanelle unnie! Yewon! Many, many congratulations on your debut.

I will always root for you. Fighting.”

— Yunah

The specific shoutouts to Chanelle and Yewon were due to the fact that the two were competing on the idol survival show R U NEXT? which led to the creation of ILLIT.

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Chanelle
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Yewon

While many were touched by the fact that the girls maintained a good relationship despite once being competitors and debuting in different groups, many also found it odd. Those who were unhappy with the members’ posts gave two major reasons. The first was an ongoing boycott call against FIFTY FIFTY’s new lineup, as many fans feel that their label ATTRAKT has exploited the former members who are still tied up in a massive lawsuit with the label.

Many argued that the other reason was that the posts felt more like something done by HYBE rather than the members themselves. Many felt that if the girls wanted to congratulate their friends, they would have posted it on Weverse instead of X. Still, different fans have speculated differently about HYBE’s possible strategy in pulling this move.

Many, however, denounced the negativity and defended the ILLIT members, saying that the posts were simply for showing support toward their friends and shouldn’t be taken as something beyond that.

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