TOMORROW X TOGETHER's Yeonjun picked up his first terrestrial music show trophy on July 17, 2026, roughly 21 months after his only previous music show win. The date shows up inconsistently across coverage, so it is worth pinning down first.
Who Won Music Bank on July 17, 2026 — and Why the Date Gets Confused
Yeonjun won first place on KBS2's "Music Bank" Episode 1,299, broadcast Friday, July 17, 2026, with his solo single "Ice Cream," scoring 6,920 points . The first-place race that week was a two-way contest between "Ice Cream" and i-dle's "Gimme Dat Love" . It was his first win on any terrestrial, public-broadcast music show, and only his second music show win overall as a soloist .
Quick Answer: Yeonjun of TOMORROW X TOGETHER won KBS2 "Music Bank" on July 17, 2026 with "Ice Cream," scoring 6,920 points on Episode 1,299. It was his first terrestrial music show win and only his second overall, arriving about 21 months after "GGUM" won on cable network Mnet.
Some English-language articles list July 18, and there are two separate reasons for that. First, outlets including Chosun Biz published their reports a day after the broadcast, on July 18 . Second, Yeonjun won a different trophy the next day, July 18, on MBC's "Show! Music Core" . The Music Bank trophy itself is dated July 17; the Music Core trophy is dated July 18.
The distinction between networks also matters here. Yeonjun's only prior solo win came with the mixtape "GGUM" on Mnet's "M Countdown," and Mnet is a cable channel rather than a terrestrial broadcaster .
Why a Second Win Took 21 Months
The 21-month gap comes from the fact that Yeonjun had won exactly one music show trophy as a soloist before July 2026, and it came on cable. "GGUM," his first solo mixtape, took first place on Mnet's "M Countdown" on October 3, 2024 , and no second win followed until "Ice Cream" scored 6,920 points on "Music Bank" on July 17, 2026 . That is roughly one year and nine months between victories — and the first one ever on a terrestrial network .
The network distinction is why Korean outlets treated this as a separate milestone rather than a repeat. Terrestrial broadcasters — KBS, MBC and SBS — operate as public over-the-air channels with different reach and scoring systems than cable music programs, so a first terrestrial No. 1 is logged as its own line in an artist's record. Coverage of the win consistently framed it with the phrase 지상파 음악방송 첫 1위 ("first No. 1 on a terrestrial music show") rather than simply as a second trophy .
- Previous win: "GGUM" (solo mixtape), Mnet "M Countdown," October 3, 2024 — cable
- This win: "Ice Cream," KBS2 "Music Bank" Episode 1,299, July 17, 2026 — terrestrial
- Gap: about 1 year 9 months; second music show win overall as a soloist
Yeonjun's own reaction on stage tracked that framing — he described the result as unexpected and directed his thanks at MOA, TXT's fandom, rather than at the record itself.
"I didn't expect this at all. Most of all, I'm sincerely grateful to our MOA. I'm feeling with my whole body how much love I'm receiving," — Yeonjun, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, in his winner's speech on "Music Bank" (source: iMBC, 2026-07)
The competitive picture that week was narrow rather than dominant: first place came down to a two-way race between "Ice Cream" and i-dle's "Gimme Dat Love" , and 6,920 points sat below the totals posted by winners on either side of it — ATEEZ's "Bad" at 9,688 on July 3 and idntt's "Kids Return" at 9,182 on July 24 . The significance was the network, not the margin.
What Happened On Stage: Beomgyu's Surprise Encore Cameo
The encore stage turned into a TXT moment. After the trophy was handed over, fellow TOMORROW X TOGETHER member Beomgyu walked out to join Yeonjun mid-performance, an unannounced cameo that became the most-circulated clip from the July 17 broadcast . KBS's official Kpop channel followed with a 4K encore facecam of the "Ice Cream" performance, giving the moment a permanent archive rather than a fan-recorded fragment .
Episode 1,299 was a full slate beyond the win itself. The same broadcast carried performances from i-dle, MONSTA X's Kihyun, Sunmi, idntt, RESCENE, AHOF, VAYONN, Keyveatz, GIRLSET, Jang Haneum, AmbiO, UDTT, DAILY:DIRECTION, TRENDZ, Lee Yeji and Hat:q .
July 17 was also a KBS double-header for Yeonjun. Hours around the "Music Bank" win, he appeared as a guest on KBS2's music talk show "The Seasons – Sung Si-kyung's Eardrum Boyfriend," performing tracks from his mini album alongside a cover of Michael Bublé's "Home" .
"Legendary before debut," host Sung Si-kyung said of Yeonjun on the episode, adding that he is "writing new history for K-pop solo artists" — Sung Si-kyung, host of "The Seasons – Sung Si-kyung's Eardrum Boyfriend" on KBS2 (source: iMBC, 2026-07)
Korean coverage framed the pairing as a single-network showcase day: a chart trophy on one KBS2 program and an extended live set on another, both airing the same date . For a soloist whose promotional cycle for "NO LABELS: PART 02" had opened only a week earlier on July 10, the visibility stacked quickly .
Ice Cream's Chart Run: Billboard, Oricon and iTunes Numbers
"NO LABELS: PART 02" posted the strongest commercial figures of Yeonjun's solo career, and the numbers explain why a Music Bank trophy was plausible in the first place. The mini album sold 661,924 copies on its first day through Hanteo on July 10, 2026, breaking his own prior record, then closed its first week at 738,072 copies — the highest first-week total for any Korean solo artist's album released in 2026 . Those shipments landed before the July 17 broadcast, feeding the album-sales component of the show's scoring.
In the United States, the album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 16 on the chart dated July 25, 2026, announced July 21 — the year's highest debut by a Korean soloist, and his second Billboard 200 entry after "NO LABELS: PART 01" peaked at No. 10 . It also took No. 1 on World Albums and No. 4 on Top Album Sales, while "Ice Cream" charted at No. 89 on Global Excl. U.S. and Yeonjun placed No. 17 on the Artist 100 .
| Chart / metric | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hanteo first-day sales | 661,924 copies | 2026-07-10 |
| First-week sales | 738,072 copies | Week of 2026-07-10 |
| Billboard 200 | No. 16 (debut) | Chart dated 2026-07-25 |
| Billboard World Albums | No. 1 | Chart dated 2026-07-25 |
| Billboard Top Album Sales | No. 4 | Chart dated 2026-07-25 |
| Oricon Weekly Combined Albums (JP) | No. 2 (career best) | Chart dated 2026-07-27 |
| Oricon Weekly Western Albums (JP) | No. 1 | Chart dated 2026-07-27 |
| Bugs weekly chart (KR) | No. 1 ("Ice Cream") | 2026-07-13 – 07-19 |
Japan produced a career high: No. 2 on Oricon's Weekly Combined Albums Ranking dated July 27, 2026, alongside No. 1 on Weekly Western Albums, No. 2 on Weekly Albums and No. 5 on Weekly Digital Albums . Big Hit Music reported the set at No. 1 on iTunes Top Albums in 11 or more regions — Japan, Thailand and Saudi Arabia among them — with "Ice Cream" at No. 1 on Top Songs in 10 or more regions including the UAE, Vietnam and the Philippines, measured at 10 a.m. KST on July 11 .
Streaming and video moved on a similar curve. The "Ice Cream" music video passed 20 million YouTube views in under a week, and the track led Bugs' weekly chart for the July 13–19 tracking period after taking the daily No. 1 on six days — July 10–12 and July 14–16 . Read against the Music Bank scoring, the picture is consistent: strong physical sales and digital points carried the 6,920-point total past i-dle's "Gimme Dat Love," even though that figure sat below the winning scores of the weeks immediately before and after .
Sources: Newspim, Ten Asia, Newsis, Namu Wiki, Music Bank Chart winners (2026).
What Comes Next for Ice Cream Promotions
The Music Bank trophy was not a one-off. Yeonjun swept the same weekend by winning again on MBC's "Show! Music Core" on July 18, 2026, in a three-way first-place race that also featured RESCENE's "Pretty Girl" and aespa's "LEMONADE" . Two terrestrial trophies in two days closed out a 21-month gap between music-show wins.
The promotion cycle continued into the following week. Yeonjun was scheduled to perform "Ice Cream" on Mnet's "M Countdown" on July 23, 2026 — the same program where his 2024 mixtape "GGUM" earned his only earlier win, on October 3, 2024 .
For fans tracking trophy counts, the useful comparison is the surrounding broadcast cycle rather than the win itself. Yeonjun's 6,920 points sat between ATEEZ's "Bad" (9,688 on July 3; 7,271 on July 10), idntt's "Kids Return" (9,182 on July 24) and fromis_9's "Vitamin Me" (9,302 on July 31) . The concrete takeaway: the milestone was the network, not the margin — a cable-only soloist record became a terrestrial one, with a Billboard 200 No. 16 debut arriving days later .
Frequently asked questions
When did Yeonjun win his first Music Bank trophy for "Ice Cream"?
Yeonjun won on the July 17, 2026 broadcast of KBS2's "Music Bank," Episode 1,299, scoring 6,920 points in a two-way first-place race against i-dle's "Gimme Dat Love" . Some English-language reports carry a July 18 date because outlets such as Chosun Biz published on the following day, and because a separate trophy followed on July 18 .
Is this Yeonjun's first-ever music show win?
No. It was his second music show win overall as a soloist, but his first on a terrestrial broadcaster. His previous trophy came with the solo mixtape "GGUM" on Mnet's "M Countdown" — a cable network — roughly one year and nine months earlier, which is why Korean coverage framed the KBS trophy as a 지상파 (public-broadcast) first .
What happened during Yeonjun's encore stage?
Fellow TOMORROW X TOGETHER member Beomgyu made a surprise appearance on stage during the winner's encore, a moment that circulated widely in fan clips . KBS's official Kpop channel published a 4K encore facecam of the performance .
Did "Ice Cream" perform well outside Korea?
Yes. "NO LABELS: PART 02" debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 dated July 25, 2026, the year's highest debut for a Korean solo act, and also reached World Albums No. 1 and Top Album Sales No. 4 . In Japan it reached No. 2 on Oricon's Weekly Combined Albums Ranking dated July 27 — a career best — and it topped iTunes Top Albums in more than 11 regions including Japan, Thailand and Saudi Arabia .
Did Yeonjun win any other shows for "Ice Cream"?
Yes. A second trophy arrived the next day, July 18, 2026, on MBC's "Show! Music Core," in a three-way race that also included RESCENE's "Pretty Girl" and aespa's "LEMONADE," completing a weekend sweep . He was then scheduled to perform "Ice Cream" on Mnet's "M Countdown" on July 23, 2026 .
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
