YujinLeader
최유진- Name
- Choi Yu-jin
- Born
- 12 August 1996
A former member of CLC who finished third on Girls Planet 999 in 2021.
Their story
Nine winners of Girls Planet 999
Kep1er came out of a vote. Girls Planet 999, a 2021 Mnet survival show, brought together contestants from Korea, China and Japan, and the nine with the most votes became the group. Chaehyun finished first and Bahiyyih second. Leader Yujin, a former member of CLC, came third. The name joins "Kep", for catching a dream, with the number 1, for becoming the best. COVID-19 pushed the planned December debut back by a few weeks, and First Impact came out in January 2022.
A win after eleven days
The start was fast. First Impact sold over 200,000 copies in its first week, at the time the highest for a K-pop girl group debut album. Its title track "WA DA DA" passed 30 million YouTube views within a week. Eleven days after the debut it won on M Countdown. Later that year the group went up against WJSN, LOONA, VIVIZ, Brave Girls and Hyolyn on the Mnet competition Queendom 2.
Bright songs, then a darker turn
The early releases were bright and upbeat, from "WA DA DA" to the summer song "Up!" on Doublast and "Giddy" on Lovestruck!. Kep1er also built a second career in Japan, with singles such as "Fly-Up" and a first Japan tour, Fly-By, in 2023. Their first full-length Korean album, Kep1going On, followed with "Shooting Star". CRACK CODE changed direction. Its title track "KILLA (Face the other me)" has a darker sound.
Past the end date
Kep1er began as a project group with a fixed term. In 2024 seven members extended their contracts and stayed together. After another departure in March 2026, the group continues as six: Yujin, Xiaoting, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Hikaru and Huening Bahiyyih. WAKEONE and Klap Entertainment manage them. CRACK CODE, released that same month, is their latest EP and their first release as six. In July Xiaoting released her first solo single, "LEGEND".
