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On Wednesday, October 11, fans of the K-pop girl group Kep1er sent a protest truck to the group's agency, WAKEONE Entertainment, to address the alleged mistreatment and mismanagement of the group and its members. Fans have expressed frustration with the alleged improper promotions and poorly managed comebacks for the longest time.
Kep1er's recent comeback with the title track, Galileo, was nominated for SBS' THE SHOW Choice Awards, a weekly broadcast, and despite fans' consistent efforts to vote for them, the group couldn't make the win. With the group's visibly declining prominence in the industry, fans have decided to speak up against the same.
Fans tracked back to the major cause of the comeback's low prominences, which they believe to be WAKEONE Entertainment's improper scheduling and lack of promotions. Fans' continuous posts demanding WAKEONE Entertainment's change in attitude have inevitably trended the issue on X (formerly Twitter).
"STOP ruining Kep1er": Fans express frustration about the alleged mismanagement by the group's agency, WAKEONE Entertainment
On September 25, 2023, the project group formed through Mnet's reality survival show, Girls Planet 999, released their fifth mini-album, Magic Hour, which consisted of five tracks with the single Galileo as its title song. While fans were eager to receive new music from the group, they were rather upset with how Kep1er's agency, WAKEONE Entertainment, managed the comeback.
One of the initial things that fans noticed was that the comeback was placed during the national holiday, Chuseok, which is grandly celebrated in Korea. Given that the clash of schedules inevitably led to less public interaction, fans expressed that the time schedule for the release of Magic Hour was poorly constructed.
Additionally, for promotional purposes, the group members were rarely seen popping up on variety shows, talk shows, etc., further decreasing the album release's awareness among the masses.
With several other factors snowballing into the low performance of Kep1er's comeback, fans were disheartened to notice that the group couldn't win this week's Show Choice Awards.
Though fans implemented several strategies to help the group bag a win for the hard work spent on the comeback, they couldn't accomplish the same due to the high odds against them. As fans continued apologizing for their inability to make the group win, the members assured them they were more than appreciative and grateful for the fans' efforts.
Regardless, fans' frustration towards WAKEONE Entertainment continues to be fueled by the agency's persistent behavior towards Kep1er. While fans weren't interested in taking huge steps, after seeing the members visibly upset and saddened after losing at The Show Choice Awards, fans felt that louder ways of expressing their issues and concerns were necessary.
Korea-based fans sent a protest truck parked in front of WAKEONE Entertainment, addressing several issues, such as the members' alleged insufficient health care, unequal distribution of song lines, untimely comebacks and schedules, lack of artist protection, and more.
Fans hope that their steps and efforts help change the current condition of Kep1er and possibly result in a change of attitude from the group's agency.
