ILLIT member Moka made her first public appearance in four months on October 17, attending the first night of the group’s “PRESS START” encore concert at Inspire Arena in Incheon — from the audience.
According to a report by Sports Kyunghyang (reporter Lee Sun-myung) on October 18, Moka did not take the stage. She sat in the audience and watched her fellow members perform.
Photos and videos posted by fans on X showed Moka in her seat, smiling and waving back at fans who recognized her. She was also spotted holding a fan decorated with the members’ photos. On the same day, ILLIT member Minju shared a cheek-to-cheek photo with Moka on the fan platform Weverse.
No official statement was available about the appearance. Moka has been on hiatus since June 19, when BELIFT LAB said she had been “receiving treatment and focusing on recovery due to excessive tension and anxiety symptoms that began during preparations for the group’s fourth mini album.” She briefly joined some music show appearances at her own request before pausing again, and ILLIT has continued as a four-member group since.
Importantly, the report clarified that her audience appearance does not mean an official return. She will skip the November 1 video-call fansign and the November 5 in-person fansign for health reasons, and fan events after the group’s December Japan encore concerts will also proceed without her.
Fans at home and abroad welcomed the surprise sighting as a positive sign of her recovery.
