Ara (ILY:1)

For other people known as 'Ara' or 'Yunji', see Ara and Yoonji.

Ara

Concept photo for Illang:Firework

Background

Other name(s)

Lǐ Yìnzhī (李胤知) (Chinese name)
Yukijima Kaho (雪島花歩) (Japanese name)
Lee Yun-ji (イ・ユンジ)

Birth name

Lee Yun-ji (이윤지)

Birth date

January 23, 2002 (age 23)

Birth place

Seoul, South Korea

Height

156 cm (5 ft 1 in)

Blood type

O

Career

Occupation

Singer

Group debut

April 4, 2022

Years active

2021–present

Agency

FC ENM (2021–present)
Cube Entertainment (2019–2021)

Associations

ILY:1
Cube Tree
Girls Planet 999

SNS

Ara (아라) is a South Korean singer under FC ENM. She is a member of the girl group ILY:1.

She is best known for participating in Mnet's reality survival show Girls Planet 999.

Career

2021: Girls Planet 999

On July 7, 2021, Lee Yunji was confirmed as a contestant on Mnet's newest reality show, Girls Planet 999, along with the other participating trainees, through the prologue trailer.^[1] Her official profile was released on July 17.^[2]^[3] The show began airing on August 6. In the fifth episode, which was aired on September 3, it was revealed that she, along with her cellmates, was unfortunately eliminated.^[4]

On October 20, it was revealed that Yunji had left Cube Entertainment and joined FC ENM.^[5]

2022: Debut with ILY:1

On December 24, 2021, FC ENM announced that Lee Yunji, alongside trainees Hayase Hana, Kishida Ririka, and Chang Ching would be debuting in their new six-member girl group, ILY:1.^[6] On January 10, 2022, she was officially introduced as the group's second member under the stage name Ara.^[7] They debuted on April 4, 2022 with the single album "Love in Bloom".^[8]^[9]^[10]

Personal life

Hiatus

On November 9, 2024, FC ENM announced that due to a sustained injury during practice she would be taking a break from ILY:1 and that the group would promote as five until she heals.^[11]

Discography

Participation releases

"O.O.O (Over&Over&Over)" (with contestants of Girls Planet 999) (2021)

Filmography

Television shows

Girls Planet 999 (Mnet, 2021) - contestant

Trivia

Her MBTI personality type is ENFP.^[3]
Her hobby is drawing.^[3]
Her specialties include magic tricks, playing the samul nori, and doing nanta.^[3]
She is close friends with Kep1er's Yujin.^{[citation needed]}
Her motto on Girls Planet 999 is "Cutie with infinite charms that puts smile on your face just by seeing".^[3]
She was born on the exact same day as STAYC's Isa.
A very curious fact about her is that despite being South Korean, she has a strong accent, which makes her mistaken for a foreign idol (more precisely, being mistaken for a Japanese K-pop idol, despite being from Seoul, the capital and most populous city in South Korea).^[12]

Gallery

Main article: Ara (ILY:1)/Gallery

References

Official links

[1] YouTube: (Prologue) Welcome to Girls Planet (Full ver.) l August 6 (Fri) 8:20PM (KST) #GirlsPlanet999

[2] @_girlsplanet999 Twitter post (July 19, 2021)

[GP999_profile-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Girls Planet 999 Han Dana profile page

[4] Soompi: “Girls Planet 999” Reveals Results Of First Elimination Round

[5] @fc_enm Twitter post (October 20, 2021)

[6] Soompi: 4 “Girls Planet 999” Contestants To Debut Together In New Girl Group

[7] @FCENM_ILY1 on Twitter: ARA (January 10, 2022)

[8] Soompi: New Girl Group With 4 “Girls Planet 999” Contestants Announces Debut Date And Name

[9] @FCENM_ILY1 on Twitter (February 26, 2022)

[10] ILY:1 on Twitter: 아일리원(ILY:1) 데뷔 앨범 '사랑아 피어라(LOVE IN BLOOM)' 발매 연기 안내 (March 11, 2022)

[11] Soompi: ILY:1's Ara To Go On Hiatus Due To Injury

[12] 엔터로 │ Entero (YouTube Channel): (eng sub) 올해 데뷔했지만 YG 이직 꿈나무🙏인 걸그룹 쎄볐다 ㅋ (feat.아일리원) │ 엔터로 ep.03

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