The ITZY members never stop working hard—even when they’re injured. As if the group’s choreographies weren’t intense enough, they’ve sadly had to power through and perform with injuries several times in the past. Here are just three of the most difficult periods they went through as idols.
1. Chaeryeong’s herniated disc
In an episode of ITZY’s “2TZY: Hello 2021” on YouTube, Chaeryeong recalled a time when she suffered serious pain during choreography rehearsals. When the group released “Wannabe,” they actually had to alter some parts of the choreography because Chaeryeong physically couldn’t bend down. In fact, whenever she tried, she was repeatedly brought to tears.
A self-confessed perfectionist, Chaeryeong tried to stick with the original “Wannabe” choreography for the sake of her members, but she found herself becoming scared by her injury. According to Ryujin, Chaeryeong was actually suffering from a herniated disc—a painful condition in which one of the spinal discs ruptures.
While the group did end up altering their choreography slightly, Ryujin confessed that she wishes they’d changed it even more for Chaeryeong’s utmost comfort.
2. Yeji’s back injury
Before ITZY debuted in Yeji, she was a contestant on SBS‘s audition show, The Fan. While she was sadly eliminated from the show before the finale, Yeji charmed the judges and the viewers several times, including while she was injured.
While rehearsing the day before her final performance on The Fan, Yeji sadly injured her back and even had to go to the hospital for treatment that afternoon. However, despite her pain, the star pushed on and gave viewers an incredible dance cover of Dua Lipa‘s “New Rules.”
Not only did Yeji receive praise from the judges, she also earned the respect of Street Woman Fighter‘s Hyojin Choi, who was Yeji’s dance trainer at the time. “I thought that she was very professional,” Hyojin revealed in a past interview.
3. Yuna’s neck injury
Most recently, Yuna suffered a neck injury right on the set of ITZY’s “LOCO” music video. In behind-the-scenes clips from the shoot, Yuna was seen having trouble moving her neck after one dance break performance scene.
“Nothing is more upsetting and sad than when your body won’t cooperate,” Yuna explained after the incident, adding that when people judge their stages, they only focus on what they can see—not the process behind it all.
According to Chaeryeong, the members asked Yuna to be honest about how much she could do during the shoot and tried to match her capabilities as well as possible. However, she regretted that there was nothing more they could do to help her. Now, ITZY typically refrains from performing the dance break live, possibly due to the risk of injury.
