About YulYen
YulYen is the fan pairing of IZ*ONE's Jo Yuri and Choi Yena. Within the Wiz*One fandom, it is widely celebrated as one of the group's defining friendship ships. Yena first approached Yuri during their time on Produce 48, and that moment marked the beginning of a close bond that fans watched grow throughout IZ*ONE's active period. What makes YulYen particularly compelling to fans is the almost uncanny degree of similarity between the two. Yena has described Yuri as her 'mirror,' noting how alike they are in personality, tastes, and instincts, sometimes feeling like they can read each other's thoughts without speaking. Both dislike mint chocolate, are admitted scaredy cats, started as vocalists, and love to initiate group skits. Yuri and Yena are also part of the beloved IZ*ONE trio sub-friendship 'JoYuriz' (also called The Triplets, alongside Chaewon), but YulYen as a pairing stands strong on its own in fandom culture.
YulYen is a fan favorite within Wiz*One (IZ*ONE's fandom) for its strong foundation in documented friendship chemistry. Fans love the 'mirror' framing and the long list of shared traits. IZ*ONE officially disbanded in April 2021, giving YulYen content a nostalgic quality in the fandom.
Fun facts
- ✦ Yena has said that Yuri is her 'mirror,' meaning they share so many qualities they often know what the other is thinking without speaking.
- ✦ Both Yuri and Yena dislike mint chocolate, are scaredy cats, started as vocalists, and love to start group skits. Fans find the list of similarities almost comedically long.
- ✦ Yena was the one who first approached Yuri during Produce 48 training, which fans cite as the origin of their friendship.
- ✦ Both are Korean and were born in 2002 (Yena) and 2003 (Yuri), making them close in age and often treated as a peer duo.
- ✦ YulYen is also part of the larger 'JoYuriz' trio (Yena, Chaewon, Yuri), an official IZ*ONE friendship sub-unit.
Moments
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2018-10
IZ*ONE Debut
Yuri and Yena debuted together in IZ*ONE, beginning nearly three years of shared group content, variety appearances, and fan interactions that gave the YulYen ship a rich content library.
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2018-08
Produce 48 First Approach
During the Mnet survival show Produce 48, Yena sought out Yuri and introduced herself, a moment fans mark as the beginning of the YulYen friendship story.
Ship Couples ranking by year
Best finish: #46
The pairing
Fan gallery
to add your own YulYen edits.