I.O.I's Kim Doyeon Names Wonju's Top 3: "Peaches, Makgeolli and Me"

I.O.I members Kim Doyeon and Choi Yoojung hit the road together for a trip to Kim's hometown. The pair headline the first episode of a new YouTube variety series built around stars revisiting the places that shaped them.

Dingo released the debut episode of its original series "My Hometown, Best Hometown" on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. KST through the official Dingo Studio YouTube channel.

The show follows celebrities as they return to their hometowns, walking viewers through personal landmarks and local spots. Kim and Choi kicked off the series with a tour of Wonju, a city in Gangwon Province, retracing memories from Kim's school years and early trainee days.

Kim set the tone right away. "Wonju's top three items are Chiaksan peaches, Chiaksan makgeolli, and Kim Doyeon," she said, playing up her hometown pride. Makgeolli is a traditional Korean rice wine.

Their first stop was Kim's old school, where she was scouted while performing as a cheerleader in middle school. She reunited with the teacher who was there at the time. Choi grew teary as she walked through the spaces tied to her friend's early years.

The two also stopped by a local market. They sampled street food and tried out a "wakppubol" activity, a hands-on game popular at Korean markets. At a noraebang, the Korean-style singing room, they revisited the song Kim had performed in a trainee evaluation and belted out a track Choi remembered from her school days.

Later, the trip moved outdoors. Over a meal of baeksuk, a Korean chicken soup, and Chiaksan makgeolli, the two settled into a longer conversation. Recently reunited to mark I.O.I's 10th debut anniversary, they thanked each other for the support they had shown through years of separate careers. They closed the episode by exchanging handwritten letters.

The full first episode is available on the Dingo Studio YouTube channel.

The premiere lands as reunion content continues to draw strong interest from K-pop fans, especially for groups whose members have gone on to build distinct solo and acting careers. For I.O.I, a project group that helped set the template for the modern survival-show era, a low-key road trip in Wonju offers something the anniversary stage cannot: a look at what the friendship has become 10 years later.