Kep1er’s agency announces that the group will no longer be able to debut on December 4 as previously confirmed.
Kep1er is a rookie K-pop girl group formed through Mnet’s survival show ‘Girls Planet 999’. The 9 members of the lineup include Kim Chaehyun, Huening Bahiyyih, Choi Yujin, Kim Dayeon, Seo Youngeun, Kang Yeseo, Ezaki Hikaru, Sakamoto Mashiro and Shen Xiaoting. The group is managed by WAKEONE Entertainment and Swing Entertainment.
The soon-to-debut girl group plans to promote for 2 years and 6 months, with a debut date set on December 14, 2021 with the first mini-album ‘FIRST IMPACT’. However, earlier today (December 5), Kep1er‘s management company confirmed that the group would have to postpone their debut schedule after a staff member who worked with them tested positive for the ongoing virus.
‘Hi. This is WAKEONE Entertainment and Swing Entertainment.
We inform you that the group Kep1er under our companies, who is preparing to debut on December 14, will have to postpone their promotion plans.
On the morning of December 4, a staff member who worked with Kep1er tested positive for COVID-19. As soon as the staff member had suspicious symptoms of getting infected, the artists underwent preemptive tests and the results were all negative. Currently, the members do not display any symptoms of infection such as fever or respiratory problems.
All relevant employees have received virus tests and there are no further confirmed positive cases to date. As for those who have not received the results, they are in the process of isolation.
Putting the health and safety of Kep1er’s members and our staff first, we have suspended all scheduled activities, and therefore Kep1er’s promotional schedule will definitely be postponed. We apologize to the fans who have been waiting for Kep1er’s debut and to all the staff that have been involved. We will share another announcement in the future when the group resumes.
We will take all necessary measures so that our artists and staff can work in the safest environment, and will strictly follow all medical guidelines and procedures. Thank you all for your time.’
So Kep1er will not be able to debut on December 14 as scheduled. However, what many people are more interested in is that the group previously also planned to attend the Mnet Asian Music Awards 2021 (MAMA 2021) on December 11, which is, before the debut time. It is not clear if Kep1er will appear at MAMA 2021 or will cancel the schedule to ensure the safety and health of themselves and those around them.
