I.O.I Gathers in Practice Room Ahead of MMA2026 Stage

Girl group I.O.I is back in the practice room. The members have shared a glimpse of their rehearsals as they prepare for the group's performance at the Melon Music Awards in November.

The group reunited in May for the first time in nine years. Fans welcomed the reunion warmly.

Members Kim Doyeon, Choi Yoojung, Yoo Yeonjung and Jeon Somi shared posts on their Instagram Stories in the early hours of Oct. 27. The posts included mirror selfies of the members together in a practice room, as well as videos of the group laughing and joking around.

Jung Chaeyeon and Kim Sohye were absent from that day's practice. Kim Doyeon left a comment on her own story: "Chaeyeon, Sohye, see you tomorrow."

Yoo Yeonjung shared a photo of the members sitting on the practice room floor, eating tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes, a classic Korean snack). "Tteokbokki that Yoodaeng (Yoojung) brought, the kind that feels like it came from a shop outside a school," she wrote. "Filling up before practice." Yoodaeng is a nickname for Choi Yoojung.

Jeon Somi shared a solo mirror selfie from the practice room. Her caption, "It has begun," which drew laughs from fans.

I.O.I will perform on the first day of "MMA2026, The 18th Melon Music Awards." The show is scheduled for Nov. 14 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul's Guro district. Melon is a major South Korean music streaming service.

The group's appearance at the awards show follows a strong year for the girls. I.O.I released its third album, "I.O.I : LOOP," in May. The title track, "Gapjagi," spent an extended period at No. 1 on both Melon's Top 100 chart and its Hot 100 chart. The song also won three trophies on Korean TV music shows, the weekly programs where songs compete for first place.

The group reunited in May after nine years apart. Now that comeback is ending the year on one of the biggest stages in South Korean music.