Former IZ*ONE members Nako Yabuki and Hitomi Honda are set to re-debut as part of a K-pop girl group.

According to a Seoul Economic Star report on the 19th, Yabuki Nako and Honda Hitomi will participate in Mnet's survival reality show, "Queendom Puzzle."

"Queendom Puzzle" is a continuation of the series that started with "Comeback War: Queendom" and "Queendom 2" in 2019. In this season, the format has changed from active girl groups competing against each other to combining former and current girl group members like puzzle pieces to form a global project girl group.

Yabuki Nako and Honda Hitomi will compete for a spot in the final debut group as individuals, not as a group.

Both Nako and Hitomi are experienced K-pop girl group survival contestants. They were selected as the final members of the group IZ*ONE through Mnet's "Produce 48" in 2018 and disbanded in April 2021 after two years and six months.

Since then, Yabuki Nako returned as a central member of the Japanese girl group HKT48 and graduated from the group this month. Last month, she appeared as an MC on the SBS M Korea-Japan joint audition show 'The Idol Band: Boys Battle' and expressed her intention to transition to acting.

Honda Hitomi also returned to the Japanese girl group AKB48 after IZ*ONE's disbandment and secured the center position. In July last year, she made her acting debut as the lead in a Japanese drama.

As another Japanese member, Sakura Miyawaki, has been actively promoting with Kim Chaewon, a former IZ*ONE member, in the group Le Sseraphim, expectations are high for Nako and Hitomi's activities in the domestic music industry.

Regarding their appearance, an Mnet representative said, "We are in the process of overall casting, and it is difficult to comment at this stage."

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