The return of the legends was powerful. The group Wanna One reunited with Wannable (their fandom name) in Sangam-dong, where they first met fans nine years ago, opening the glamorous prologue to a new reality show.
Global K-pop content platform Mnet Plus said on the 6th (Mon) at 10 a.m. that it successfully held the opening ceremony for Wanna One's new reality WANNA ONE GO : Back to Base (hereinafter "Wanna One Go: Back to Base") at DMC Cultural Park in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
Many fans who had been waiting for Wanna One's reunion gathered at the venue, creating a heated atmosphere. The nine members (Park Jihoon, Lee Dae Hwi, Kim Jaehwan, Ong Seongwu, Park Woojin, Yoon Jisung, Hwang Min-hyun, Bae Jinyoung, Ha Sungwoon) appeared walking the blue carpet where they could interact closely with fans, and the venue was instantly filled with explosive cheers.
Yoon Jisung and Lee Dae Hwi served as MCs for the event, guiding the atmosphere with steady hosting and witty banter. The members took the stage shouting the group greeting "All I Wanna Do, Wanna One!" and were overcome with emotion, while the waiting fans answered with roaring cheers that filled the venue. Many global fans who could not attend in person eased their disappointment by watching the live stream broadcast on Mnet Plus's official Instagram account.
The members' affectionate feelings toward Kang Daniel and Lai Kuan-lin, who could not attend in person, added to the emotion at the venue. The members used prepared life-size cutouts to perform a surprise skit conveying the two members' voices and said, "Please send a lot of support as the two friends are with us in spirit from afar," reaffirming the meaning of the "11-member whole."
The "Ask me anything GO" corner, which answered questions pre-submitted through Mnet Plus, received especially enthusiastic responses. The members surprised the crowd by revealing the 2026 version of the "PICK ME" choreography, raising the excitement at the venue, and demonstrated their unchanged variety skills and chemistry by performing a parody of Park Jihoon's famous line from the recently popular film The King's Warden and the latest trending challenges.
Toward the end of the event, the members shared their feelings about gathering again after a long time and delivered sincere messages to fans. Hwang Min-hyun said, "It's been a long time since I've called out the name Wannable, and it feels fresh to be together again," and added, "As the saying used to go, 'When Wannable gathers, Wanna One gathers,' we are together again. I hope many good moments together follow starting today."
Park Woojin said, "It's been a long time since the last concert, and with the rain it feels like this will be an even more special memory," adding, "Thank you for being with us from the early morning, and I want to continue creating fun times together." Kim Jaehwan said, "I sincerely thank you for coming out in such bad weather," and added, "Starting today, I want to walk together looking toward forever. I hope Wannable will be with us on that path."
Ha Sungwoon said, "So much time has passed, and it feels like a dream to be gathered again like this," and added, "Thank you for waiting and cheering for us." Bae Jinyoung said, "I have a lot of memories from the past, and I feel complicated and strange emotions," and added, "I'll give you cooler and more varied memories in return for your waiting."
Park Jihoon, who shouted the famous line "You rascal!" from the film The King's Warden, which surpassed 16 million viewers, said, "We reunited to give new memories and emotions," and added, "We will do our best to create fun and beautiful times." Ong Seongwu said, "I'm really happy to meet the members and Wannable again after a long time," and added, "I hope we can meet like this again."
Lee Dae Hwi said, "I'm grateful that many more people than expected came," and emphasized, "Wanna One is just beginning." Finally, Yoon Jisung added, "We meet again today as if it were the day the cherry blossoms fell when we first met," and said, "I want to keep making many good memories together in the future."
A strong response continued online. Keywords related to Wanna One rose to the top of X (formerly Twitter) real-time trends, and reactions spread quickly across various communities and social media, proving high levels of public interest. Fans poured out intense emotions, saying, "I feel excited and nervous like it's starting again," "It feels like that time has come back and I am in tears," and "Wanna One is still Wanna One."
Meanwhile, Wanna One's new journey announcing the return of the legends, "Wanna One Go: Back to Base," will premiere on Mnet Plus at 6 p.m. on Tue., April 28, and will air on Mnet at 8 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Mnet
[OSEN]