MANILA — The members of K-pop girl group ITZY are still reeling from the highs of their recently concluded world tour, which included a stop in the Philippines which the girls found "unforgettable."

"Even before [the concert], I was really amazed by the hot welcome and spirit of the Filipinos — even from the airport. I remember that we had the press events and then the concert, and what we experienced here is still unforgettable to this day," Yeji said at a press conference for the group's recent fan meet in the country, organized by local clothing brand Bench.

Whenever ITZY goes to the Philippines, the members "feel the overflowing passion of the Filipino fans as well as the bright energy that they give," main vocalist Lia said.

"Every time we arrive here, we also get to receive and recharge [with] the energy that Filipino MIDZYs give to us. So we really love our Filipino fans," she said.

In January, the five-member group — which also includes Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna — played two nights at the SM Mall of Asia Arena for its "Checkmate" world tour, which wrapped up earlier this month in Bangkok.

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Prior to the two-day concert, ITZY first went to the country in 2019, holding a showcase at the New Frontier Theater.

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Yeji said it felt surreal that the group had finished its first world tour, which ran for seven months with stops in cities across the United States and Asia.

"Until right now, I still can't believe that everything already happened — it's already done. And I'm very glad that through this, we were able to meet a lot of MIDZYs and interact with them as well," she said.

NOW: K-Pop girl group ITZY is back in the Philippines and holds a press conference Saturday in preparation for their upcoming fan meet tomorrow, April 16. @ABSCBNNews #WannaBeWithBENCH #BENCHxITZY pic.twitter.com/GhknTuEbWu

— Kevin Alabaso (@KevAlabaso) April 15, 2023

Yuna, the group's youngest member, admitted that she could not believe ITZY was well known outside of South Korea, saying she was shocked at the scores of fans who attended their concerts.

"Of course, in Korea we're really thankful that we have such wonderful fans... and we really appreciate the fans that go to Korea [to watch us there]," Yuna said.

"But when we saw our fans in other countries, we were shocked that there are also other countries and other nationalities that really enjoy and really appreciate us," she said.

"So that was a really strange feeling for us as well and we really receive so much strength from the fans," she added.

And while the tour had just concluded, the group is already looking forward to the "different ways for us to have more interactions with [our] fans," Yeji said.

Memorable food

Aside from the passionate fans, another memorable thing about the Philippines for the group is the food.

"Right after our concert, we had peppered crabs together and I really remember it because it was so delicious," Yuna said.

Despite their repeated visits to the Philippines, the girls still have a local snack that they wish to taste. "I actually want to try a food that I've heard about a lot of times, which is the banana cue," Lia said.

"I've heard that it's a very sweet banana so I would really love to try it," she added.

For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the Hallyu Corner microsite.

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