{"id":2360596,"date":"2026-04-06T09:57:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2360596"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:57:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:57:17","slug":"boy-band-wanna-one-kicks-off-seven-year-reunion-with-rain-soaked-meet-and-greet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/boy-band-wanna-one-kicks-off-seven-year-reunion-with-rain-soaked-meet-and-greet\/","title":{"rendered":"Boy band Wanna One kicks off seven-year reunion with rain-soaked meet and greet"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Fans of boy band Wanna One wait outside CJ ENM\u2019s headquarters in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 6 for a meet and greet ahead of the premiere of its reality show, \u201cWanna One Go: Back to Base,\u201d which will be released on April 28. The reunion comes seven years after the group\u2019s disbandment in 2019. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Even overnight thunder and a steady spring drizzle over Seoul could not stop a crowd of fans from welcoming Wanna One, the once disbanded boy band, as it returned for the first time in seven years.
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That meant that it had been seven years since Ryu, a longtime Wanna One fan who wished to be identified only by her surname, last pulled out her official light stick for the 11-member group.
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\n Ryu was a teenager during the group\u2019s heyday from 2017 through 2019. Now an adult, she arrived at 8 a.m. on Monday to wait for the 10 a.m. fan meet and greet outside CJ ENM\u2019s headquarters in western Seoul.
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\u201cIt was totally worth it,\u201d Ryu said, smiling as she stood in a raincoat after enduring three hours in the drizzling rain.
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Boy band Wanna One greets fans at a meet and greet in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 6, ahead of the premiere of its reality show \u201cWanna One Go: Back to Base,\u201d which will be released on April 28. The reunion comes seven years after group\u2019s disbandment in 2019. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Although her favorite member, Kang Daniel, was absent from the event due to his military duties, Ryu was still thrilled to see the boy band again after nearly a decade.
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\u201cI haven\u2019t really been into K-pop since Wanna One [disbanded] because life got hectic,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been pretty far removed from fan activities, but since I happened to live nearby, I decided to come.\u201d
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Hundreds of fans were already at the venue when Ryu passed by the site the night before, she added.
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Fans of boy band Wanna One wait outside CJ ENM\u2019s headquarters in Mapo District, western Seoul, on April 6 for a meet-and-greet ahead of the premiere of the group\u2019s reality show, \u201cWanna One Go: Back to Base,\u201d on April 28. The program marks the group\u2019s reunion, seven years after its disbandment in 2019. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Wanna One was formed through the second season of Mnet\u2019s smash hit audition program, \u201cProduce 101\u201d (2016-19). That season became a cultural sensation, with 16 million votes cast during its finale, launching the 11 winning contestants to immediate stardom upon the group\u2019s debut.
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The band was active for about a year and a half, during which they released several hits, such as \u201cEnergetic\u201d (2017) and \u201cBeautiful\u201d (2017), before officially disbanding in January 2019.
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Wanna One debuted with 11 members: Kang, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Yoon Ji-sung, Hwang Min-hyun, Bae Jin-young and Ha Sung-woon. Since the group\u2019s disbandment, the members have pursued their own careers across music and acting. Lai, however, retired from performing in 2014 to pursue filmmaking.
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Boy band Wanna One [SWING ENTERTAINMENT]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Wanna One\u2019s agency CJ ENM, which runs Mnet, recently announced the group\u2019s reunion, which will include the reality program \u201cWanna One Go: Back to Base,\u201d set to premiere on April 28.
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Fans, who had been waiting at the venue for hours, had to wait an additional 20 minutes after the clock struck 10 a.m. before the members finally appeared.
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While all 11 members left handwritten messages for fans on social media ahead of the show\u2019s premiere, only nine were present for the meet and greet. Kang was absent due to military service, while Lai remained in China. In their place, life-size standing panels of the two members were displayed beside the group.
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A teaser poster for \u2033Wanna One: Back to Base\u2033 [CJ ENM]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dressed in outfits resembling Korean school uniforms, reminiscent of their \u201cProduce 101\u201d days, the members greeted fans, briefly performed \u201cIt\u2019s Me\u201d (2017), the theme song from \u201cProduce 101,\u201d and took turns reciting Park Ji-hoon\u2019s iconic lines from his recent film, \u201cThe King\u2019s Warden.\u201d
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\u201cWhile each of us has been busy \u2014 some filming drama series, and others pursuing group or solo activities \u2014 we came together instantly to reunite as Wanna One,\u201d said Hwang. \u201cI was so nervous because it\u2019s been a while. I never expected so many people to show up, so I\u2019m truly grateful to everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n