Wanna One Reunite at KCON LA 2026: Bae Jin-young Says 'Wanna One Is My Personal Color'

K-pop singer Bae Jin-young is back on stage with Wanna One, and he says it feels right. The former CIX member spoke about the reunion after performing at KCON LA 2026, where Wanna One regrouped as a nine-member lineup.

The reunion is missing two of the group's original members. Kang Daniel is currently serving his mandatory military duty, and Lai Kuan-lin is active in China. The remaining nine members took the stage together for the first time in years.

Mnet Plus released the first episode of its original series "WANNA ONE GO in LA" on the 1st. The show follows the group's KCON LA 2026 performance and the members' free time in Los Angeles after the concert.

"I really think Wanna One is my personal color," Bae Jin-young said after sharing a stage with the group again. His path back to Wanna One has been a long one. After the group wrapped its official activities, he re-debuted with CIX in July 2019. He left the group in August 2024 after his exclusive contract with C9 Entertainment ended. CIX continued as a four-member act and closed out its official activities in late April of this year.

The other members shared their own reactions to being back together. "We hadn't seen each other in a long time, so we talked and practiced together, and time flew by," Park Ji-hoon said. "It felt like all the time we spent together was passing by again like a memory."

Lee Dae-hwi said he "kept getting choked up" while looking at the fans and the other members. Kim Jae-hwan said that even after so much time apart, being together again "felt as comfortable and natural as before."

Ong Seong-wu described the mix of pre-show nerves, working with the members, and hearing the fans cheer. "It felt like I got in a time machine and went back to the old days," he said. Park Woo-jin said he was "excited and happy." Yoon Ji-sung said having members who shared the same emotions "gave me a lot of strength."

Hwang Min-hyun said the time on stage with the members was "so happy and so good," even through the nerves and excitement. Ha Sung-woon said the moment was "unbelievable, like a dream."

The first episode covers behind-the-scenes footage from the KCON LA 2026 stage as well as the free trip the members took right after the concert. Each member follows his own "Wanna-list" of things he wanted to do in Los Angeles, with the members filming much of it themselves.

"Before they went on stage, the members were full of nerves and excitement, but the moment the concert ended, they were right back to the playful Wanna One as if none of it had happened," the production team said. "The contrast between the KCON LA stage and the free time the members captured themselves is the key point of episode one."