
Singer and actress Kang Mi Na will unfortunately not be participating in the I.O.I 10th anniversary reunion project.
On September 12, according to multiple music industry insiders, I.O.I’s 10th anniversary reunion project is scheduled for next year, but Kang Mi Na’s participation has ultimately fallen through.
The reunion is expected to take place in May of next year, in line with the group’s debut date. However, Kang Mi Na will inevitably not be able to join due to schedule conflicts.
Her agency, Story J Company, explained, “The reunion period being discussed overlaps with both the filming of her upcoming drama and the promotional period of another project. We are fully aware of the fans’ long-awaited anticipation, and after thorough discussions with the artist, we decided to respect her wish to focus on acting. As a result, she will not be able to take part in the reunion activities this time.”
Since her time with I.O.I, Mi Na has built a career as an actress, appearing in dramas such as 'Hotel Del Luna,' 'Moonshine,' 'Café Minamdang,' and 'Welcome to Samdal-ri.' Most recently, she played the role of Kang Ji in the KBS2 and Disney+ drama 'Twelve.'
Following the news of Kang Mi Na's absence, Korean netizens expressed disappointment in various online communities. Others were surprised that the group already celebrates their 10th anniversary and commented:
"The fans are going to be sad..."
"I don’t like that they’re making an article focusing on just one person…"
"Mi Na is being smart."
"Didn’t they almost do it last time, too?"
"I only see news about I.O.I failing to reunite, sigh."
"It’s okay if one person can’t participate. Just create one piece of content for cheering later."
"I'm so disappointed..."
"A reunion? Aren’t they all doing fine individually?"
"Didn’t she switch to acting?"
"I get it, the group has so many members, so it's going to be hard to gather all the members."
"It's so meaningless if one member is missing..."
"This is so sad, we don't get to see the full group."
"I hope she gets to stop by or something."
"Well, her acting career does come first."
"I can't believe it's already been 10 years."
"Wow. Ten years?"
"Aww, I wanted to see Mi Na on stage again."