Minju

Park Min-ju, known professionally as Minju, is a South Korean singer and a member of the K-pop girl group Illit under BELIFT Lab. She debuted with the group in March 2024 and quickly gained recognition for her warm, stable vocals as the main vocalist. Minju's journey to stardom began on the survival show R U Next?, where she secured her place through both producer and fan votes. As of 2026, Illit has released three EPs, with their debut single Magnetic becoming a chart-topping hit in South Korea and internationally. Minju is known for her calm, introspective personality and her distinctive bunny-like visuals, represented by the emoji 🐰. She has also ventured into solo features, collaborating with American singer Kylie Cantrall on the track See U Tonight in 2025. [edit]

Minju was born and raised in Namyangju, a city in Gyeonggi Province. She attended local schools in the area and learned to play the violin as a child. Her journey in K-pop began as a trainee under YG Entertainment, where she trained alongside future members of Babymonster. She later transferred to BELIFT Lab, a sub-label of HYBE, and began training there in the second half of 2021. After about two years of training, she participated in the survival show R U Next? in June 2023. The show aired on JTBC and featured dozens of trainees competing for a spot in a new girl group. Minju was selected as the third confirmed member, earning her place as both a producer's pick and through fan votes. [edit]

Minju debuted as a member of Illit on March 25, 2024, with the EP Super Real Me. The lead single Magnetic became a massive success, topping South Korea's Circle Digital Chart and charting on the Billboard Global 200. The EP sold over 250,000 copies and earned a Platinum certification from KMCA. In May 2025, Minju and fellow member Yunah were featured on the song See U Tonight by American singer Kylie Cantrall, marking Minju's first credited solo work outside the group. Illit released their third EP, Bomb, on June 16, 2025, led by the single Do the Dance. The EP sold another 250,000 copies, earning a second Platinum certification. A music video for the b-side Jellyous was released in July 2025, followed by a remix featuring Canadian singer Sophie Powers in August. The group made their Japanese debut on September 1, 2025, with the single Toki Yo Tomare. [edit]

Minju is often described as having a calm, introspective demeanor, reflected in her ISTP MBTI type. Her representative color is yellow, and her emoji is the bunny. She is perceived as the group's main vocalist with a warm, stable singing voice. Media coverage focuses on her visual appeal and vocal abilities, often contrasting her quiet personality with more extroverted members. She does not have personal social media accounts, so her public voice is expressed through group content and fan communication platforms like Weverse. The Illit fandom is called GLLIT. [edit]

Minju's audience remains a nameless collective rather than an organized entity with a formal moniker, as no official designation has been documented for her specific fanbase or the wider ILLIT following. While the group operates under a magical girl concept that resonates with listeners, there is no record of distinct rituals, viral inside jokes, or named campaigns specifically attributed to Minju in the available records. Her public presence is defined by professional milestones rather than folklore; verified events include her tenure as a host on *Music Bank* through January 2026 and a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game in July 2025. These moments are treated as standard career activities rather than legendary anecdotes that have evolved into cultural myths. According to the iFANN Global Fame Engine evaluation conducted in August 2026, Minju is currently evaluated but does not hold a placement in the published rankings. She is not ranked among the Global Top 1,000 individuals nor does she appear on any scope-specific top-100 lists. This absence of a numerical rank reflects a status where the subject has been assessed for inclusion but has not yet crossed the threshold required for a listed position in the global hierarchy. The scale of global media coverage and consumption signals remains significant enough to warrant evaluation, yet insufficient to secure a specific ordinal ranking at this time. Her influence is concentrated within the K-pop sphere, where her vocal stability and visual identity are recognized without generating the broad, cross-demographic viral spikes often associated with ranked entries.[edit]

Park Minju carries the nickname Dumpling, a derivation from the Korean word mandu, and maintains a pet dog named Ddungi. Her physical attributes include poor eyesight requiring -6 diopters in one eye and -5 in the other, alongside a lifelong fascination with horror and zombie films which she considers the only truly exciting genre. Musical training includes playing the violin, and her dietary preferences lean heavily toward chocolate, favoring cake and cookies while identifying kimchi fried rice as the single food she would choose indefinitely. A childhood spent raising numerous pet fish in kindergarten contrasts with her current minimalist dormitory style, noted in June 2026 reports as distinct from the whimsical aesthetic of her bandmate Wonhee. Professional milestones serve as the closest equivalent to legendary status in her narrative. In November 2025, she and member Yoonah debuted their original soundtrack for the series *Last Summer*, marking a specific entry into OST history. Earlier that year, her appearance throwing the first pitch at a baseball game became a documented public challenge she undertook since debuting. Furthermore, her role as a host for *Music Bank* concluded in January 2026 with a reported vow to deliver stronger stages upon her departure. These verified events form the core of her public biography, supplemented by her role model DPR Ian and her warm, stable vocals that define her position as the group's main vocalist.[edit]

Minju grew up in Namyangju with her parents and an older brother born in 2001. She has a pet dog named Ddungi. As of 2026, she lives with her family in the Seoul metropolitan area. She has not publicly disclosed any details about her current household beyond this. [edit]

Minju is close friends with members of Babymonster from her YG trainee days. She is also close to Choi Yoojung from My Teenage Girl and Kim Eunkyul from Idol School. Her role model is DPR Ian. She has collaborated with Kylie Cantrall on See U Tonight and Sophie Powers on a remix of Jellyous. [edit]

As of 2026, Minju has no publicly confirmed romantic relationships. There are no credible reports or official statements about her dating anyone. This is consistent with her status as a relatively new idol and typical industry practices. Her latest reported status is single. [edit]

Heading into 2026, Minju's individual net worth is estimated at $1 Million per iFANN's editorial analysis. As a rookie idol who debuted in 2024, her income primarily comes from group activities: album sales (over 500,000 cumulative copies across two Platinum-certified EPs), digital streaming revenue, and concert tours. Her feature on Kylie Cantrall's See U Tonight in May 2025 likely generated a one-time fee. Group endorsement deals contribute to her earnings, but individual contracts are not confirmed. Rookie idols typically receive a percentage of group profits after cost recovery, so her exact financial standing remains speculative.[edit]