FIRST READ · MON 7 AM ETTHE WEEKEND LEXICON · SAT 9 AM ETMoka
- Stage name
- Moka
- Born
- Oct. 8, 2004
- Agency
- BELIFT LAB
- Fandom
- GLLIT
- Debut
- 2024
- Generation
- 5th gen
Moka is a member of the K-pop girl group ILLIT, formed by BELIFT LAB through the survival show R U Next? She was a K-pop cover dancer before she became a trainee, and she spent her trainee years partly online and partly in Tokyo before moving to Korea for the show. In 2026 she stepped back from group activities to focus on rest and recovery, and the group promoted its fifth mini album BREAK EVEN as a four-member team. Her bandmates say she keeps cheering them on and is working hard on her recovery, but no return date has been announced.
Where they grew up
Moka grew up in a household that loved K-pop, since her mother is a big fan, and around sixth grade she went to a concert with her. In middle school she joined a K-pop cover dance academy and entered small local contests with friends from the class. One cover performance at KCON took her to Tokyo, her first trip there without her mother. The academy also offered chances to audition for labels, and although she was too shy to admit she wanted to be an idol, she auditioned anyway. The pages do not name her hometown.
Birth details: beliftlab.com
In their own words
“Even if it's hard now, if I work hard at this moment, better days will come.”
Timeline
- 2024Debuted with ILLIT
Debuted with ILLIT under BELIFT LAB; her debut interview with Weverse Magazine ran ahead of the launch when she was 19.
- 2026First concerts and fourth mini album
ILLIT held their first concerts since debuting and released the fourth mini album MAMIHLAPINATAPAI. Moka paused group activities from April.
- 2026Hiatus continues as group returns as four
Latest
- Hiatus from group activities while ILLIT promotes BREAK EVEN as four membersallkpop.com
- Break from group activities for rest and recovery
BELIFT LAB said in a statement that Moka was taking a break from group activities to prioritize rest and recovery, while the other four members promoted the fourth mini album MAMIHLAPINATAPAI and its single "IT'S ME".
teenvogue.com
Our coverage
ILLIT Lands First Billboard 200 Top 10 as 'BREAK EVEN' Debuts at No. 6
The EP also opens at No. 1 on Top Album Sales with 32,500 copies sold, ILLIT's biggest U.S. sales week yet.
ILLIT's 'BREAK EVEN' Posts a Career-Best 444,072 First Week
Hanteo Chart counted 444,072 copies from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, topping the 411,654 that "MAMIHLAPINATAPAI" opened with earlier this year.
A2O LITE's 'NEON' Completes Inkigayo Triple Crown With 11th Music Show Win
The debut single took first place with 6,037 points on the November 8 episode, beating IVE and ILLIT, on a bill that also included BLACKPINK's Jisoo.
A2O LITE's 'NEON' Claims 10th Music Show Win as IVE and ILLIT Give Chase
A2O LITE beat IVE and ILLIT for the trophy with 6,593 points, while RESCENE held No. 1 in November's girl group brand reputation rankings.
ILLIT Take Music Bank Trophy as 'You're Under Arrest' Scores 9,803 Points
The first trophy for the single came over IVE's "Looks Can Kill," with TWS, RIIZE, P1Harmony and NCT's Xiaojun also on the November 6 bill.
AND2BLE Score 2nd 'French Kissing' Trophy on 'Show Champion'
The group took the November 4 trophy over IVE, ILLIT, XLOV and A2O LITE, then performed both "Potion" and "French Kissing" on the broadcast.
Min Hee-jin Says Referral Is No Ruling as Illit Plagiarism Case Reaches Prosecutors
Police sent the defamation and obstruction case to prosecutors on Oct. 1, and Min, calling that no ruling, says Belift Lab is stalling a civil suit set for a Nov. 13 decision.
Gen, Explained: How K-Pop Sorts Its Idols Into Five Generations
From Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 to RIIZE and ILLIT, the fan-made label that files K-pop into eras, and why the 5th gen line is still contested.
ILLIT Confronts 'You're Under Arrest' Costume Criticism at 'BREAK EVEN' Showcase
The group's 5th mini-album launch in Seoul followed criticism of police-uniform outfits paired with miniskirts and knee socks.
Stray Kids' 'THIS & THAT' Logs an Eighth Week at No. 1 on Billboard World Albums
ENHYPEN, CORTIS and BOYNEXTDOOR round out the top four, as ATEEZ and ENHYPEN line up November releases with ET drop times.
Jennie and Tame Impala's 'Dracula' Climbs Back to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
The collaboration gained one spot to match its best showing, as Katseye climbed and Stray Kids led K-pop albums on the Billboard 200.
ILLIT Sets a Spotify Speed Record With 'Magnetic' Days Before 'BREAK EVEN' Lands
The 2024 debut single passed 900 million plays in about two years and seven months, Belift Lab says, as the group readies its fifth mini album.
- magazine.weverse.io: MOKA: “I feel our group can be a great one”
- teenvogue.com: ILLIT Face Uncertainty and Memory Head-On In New Mini ...
- allkpop.com: ILLIT share update on Moka as they make first comeback ...
- kprofiles.com: MOKA (ILLIT) Profile (Updated!)
Last researched Nov. 12, 2026