Rookie girl group Kep1er garners international attention

Girl group Kep1er was cited as a group with an "exciting future" in an article published by Forbes Magazine, Monday. [ILGAN SPORTS]

Kep1er’s debut is garnering international attention as foreign media gets in line to interview the rookie group.

Forbes Magazine on Monday night published an exclusive interview with the girl group under the title of “Meet Kep1er: The Multinational 'Girls Planet 999' Act Talks Leaning On & Learning From Each Other.”

In the article, Kep1er is described as a group that represents an “exciting future where K-pop can grow and expand.”

The magazine also called Kep1er “one of the most excitingly diverse acts.”

Comprised of nine members, Kep1er’s Yujin, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Youngeun and Yeseo are Korean, Xiaoting is Chinese, Mashiro and Hikaru are Japanese and Huening Bahiyyih is Korean-American.

Nikkan Sports, a Japanese sports newspaper that is an affiliate of Asahi Shimbun, published an interview with the group on Friday, citing Kep1er’s record number of album sales.

Selling over 200,000 copies of its debut EP “First Impact” in the first week after it dropped on Jan. 3, Kep1er’s album sales is the highest of any other artist who debuted in 2021 or so far in 2022.

The girl group was created through cable channel Mnet’s global audition show “Girls Planet 999,” which aired last summer.

The group debuted on Jan. 3. According to the rules of the audition show and Kep1er’s contract, the group will only be active for the next two years and six months.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]