Mnet’s Girls Planet 999 has finally announced the name of the new girl group. The new girl group will be called Kep1er. The interesting choice for the name has left fans divided.
The highly-anticipated finale of Girls Planet 999 aired on October 22, KST. Mnet announced the band’s name just hours before the episode aired. In the extremely competitive reality show, 99 contestants from East Asian countries, including Korea, Japan, and Chinese territories, competed to be in a global girl group. After months of intense competition, members of Kep1er have been unveiled.
Kep1er will reportedly consist of nine members who have topped the board on Girls Planet 999. The new members are Kim Chaehyun, Huening Bahiyyih, Choi Yujin, Kim Dayeon, Seo Youngeun, Kang Yeseo, Ezaki Hikaru, Sakamoto Mashiro, and Shen Xiaoting.
Kep1er, the winners of Girls Planet 999, have yet to win over fans
Mnet picked this name for the girl group after asking viewers of Girls Planet 999 to submit their ideas. The winner of the fan competition was Kep1er.
The name pronounced Kep-ler reportedly combines the first syllable of capture. This represents members capturing their dreams. 1 is a symbol of unity. It's meant to show how members from different nationalities and backgrounds can come together and be the best.
Several viewers have also highlighted the apparent cosmic connection in the name. Johannes Kepler is a celebrated 17th-century astronomer and scientist, best known for his laws of planetary motion and his book Astronomia nova. Many viewers connected the laws of planetary motion with the planetary theme in the show Girls Planet 999.
However, viewers of the show had mixed reactions to the group's name. While some love the space connection, others called out the strange trending practice of putting numbers in the middle of words.
Many fans hope that the name, Kep1er, though not the catchiest, will grow on them. The girl group's future performances will hopefully fuel this.
Girls Planet 999 this year was shrouded in controversy, with several fans upset with the "one pick" voting system that Mnet introduced. International fans voiced concerns the new system was putting non-Korean fans at a disadvantage.
With fan-favorite Huening Bahiyyih making it to the final line-up and the unveiling of Kep1er, some of the heat has been subdued. Fans are now rooting for the new girl group.