K-pop group Illit named first ambassador for Korean rice campaign

"It's me, it's me, me, me, it's me" — from Illit's "It's Me"

The group behind that chant has a new role: promoting Korean rice consumption.

Illit has been named the first honorary ambassador for a rice consumption campaign by NH NongHyup Economic Holdings (NongHyup), according to the group's agency Belift Lab on Thursday. The campaign, titled "Like me, like 米: It's 米" — a play on the Chinese character for rice, which is also pronounced "mi" — aims to raise awareness of the value of domestically grown rice among the MZ generation.

As part of the ambassadorship, Illit will lead a range of online and offline promotions to support farming communities. In mid-July, the group will visit a farm in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, to experience traditional rice transplanting firsthand, with the resulting entertainment content to be released on both parties' official YouTube channels. The group also plans to run an "Eat Breakfast" social media challenge to encourage voluntary participation among younger audiences, and will operate a "Happy Rice Meal Truck" featuring menus curated by the members.

The partnership grew out of Illit's promotional activities for "It's Me," the title track of their fourth mini album. An advertisement for the song — in which the members posed as rice-bag models and performed playfully against a paddy field backdrop — drew wide attention, prompting NongHyup to respond with support such as a meal truck at music broadcast events. The collaboration eventually developed into a formal partnership.

"We are excited to be running a farming support campaign with Illit, who radiate an unrivaled positive energy," a NongHyup official said. "We hope the next generation of consumers will come to see rice consumption as a trendy cultural practice and join the challenge."

"It's Me" currently sits near the top of major domestic music charts and has appeared on Billboard's Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts for eight consecutive weeks. Illit will release a digital preview of their second Japanese single, "I Got Your Back," on July 26, followed by the full physical release on July 29.