Kep1er's debut delayed after coming into contact with positive COVID-19 case

The debut of upcoming K-pop girl group Kep1er has been postponed after they came into contact with a COVID-19 case.

WAKEONE and Swing Entertainment, the group’s agencies, announced in a statement on December 5 that the nine-member act’s activities had been temporarily suspended after a staff member who worked with the group tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day. As a result, Kep1er’s debut, which was originally set for December 14, has been postponed.

“On the morning of December 4, one of the staff members accompanying Kep1er tested positive for COVID-19,” wrote the agencies, per Soompi. They added that the artists were preemptively tested for the virus after the staff member had shown symptoms, and had received negative results.

“Currently, the members are not showing any symptoms of infection such as a fever or respiratory issues,” they stated. “All related staff members have received COVID-19 tests, and there are no additional confirmed cases as of now. All those who have not received their results yet are in isolation.”

All of Kep1er’s scheduled activities have been halted in order to prioritise the safety and health of their members and staff. “We relay our apologies to the fans who were waiting for Kep1er’s debut as well as the related personnel. We will share another announcement in the future regarding their resumption of activities,” they added.

The girl group were previously announced to be part of the line-up for the upcoming Mnet Asian Music Awards taking place on December 11. It is currently unknown how these recent developments will affect their scheduled performance.

Kep1er were originally formed earlier this year through the Mnet reality series Girls Planet 999, which aired its final episode in October. The multinational nine-member girl group comprises members from South Korea, Japan and China.