On August 30, a topic titled “Honda Hitomi (IZ*ONE) is rumored to be re-debuting a Korean girl group” was published on the Korean forum “theqoo”, drawing significant attention.
In the topic, it was pointed out that the CEO and director of iNKODE, the agency formed by famous 2nd gen K-pop idol Kim Jaejoong, recently followed Hitomi on Instagram. In addition, Honda Hitomi’s account was noted to be based in Korea, sparking rumors about the former IZ*ONE member being in Korea for training.
[UPDATE] 🔔
— for honda hitomi (@hndhtmsocial) July 28, 2024
Take this with a grain of salt: iNKODE's CEO and director, recently followed #HITOMI on Instagram. Fans noticed her account is based in South Korea, sparking training or project rumors.#혼다히토미 #本田仁美 #HondaHitomi @hnd_htm__1006 pic.twitter.com/lQWKv53RMD
Moreover, fans notice that Hitomi’s personal Instagram account hasn’t posted anything since February, while iNKODE has published a teaser for a new girl group recently, leading to suspicions that the female idol will be debuting under this group.
Regarding this rumor, while many fans have expressed their excitement, some remain suspicious, pointing out that there was previously a false rumor of Honda Hitomi joining TripleS.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- Wow, this looks like it will be a 100% debut. Fighting!
- I like her because she works hard and does well.
- Hitomi, I really waited for so long
- She is well known in Korea and Japan, so she might be able to make a comeback well
- Hitomi has never done a single thing that was controversial since coming to Korea.
- I hope she does well because she’s a really hard worker.
Source: theqoo