Kep1er member Kang Ye-seo has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
On July 15, Kep1er’s joint labels – WAKEONE and Swing Entertainment – published a statement to the K-pop girl group’s official fancafé announcing that Kang had tested positive for the coronavirus the night before.
“Kang Ye-seo has already completed her second dose of COVID-19 vaccinations,” stated the companies, per Soompi’s translations. The companies also said that the remaining members of Kep1er tested negative on preemptive tests following Kang’s diagnosis. “They are showing no symptoms such as fever or respiratory infections.”
Due to Kang testing positive, Kep1er will pause their scheduled activities for the time being, WAKEONE and Swing Entertainment announced. “Currently, Kep1er has suspended all upcoming schedules in order to take necessary measures,” wrote the labels. “We will make an announcement about the video call fan signing event and the face-to-face fan signing event scheduled for July 16 that will inevitably be postponed.”
“We will take necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by putting the artists’ recovery and the safety of all artists and the staff first,” assured the companies. “We apologise for causing concern.”
Kang’s COVID-19 diagnosis comes shortly after the girl group performed at the HallyuPopFest London 2022 on the festival’s second day (July 10), where they performed ‘Wa Da Da’, ‘LE VOYA9E’ and ‘Up!’.
Kep1er returned with their sophomore mini-album ‘Doublast’ last month, led by the title track ‘Up!’. ‘Doublast’ was the follow-up to their debut record ‘First Impact’.
Earlier this year, in an interview with NME, Kep1er spoke about how they are determined to become “the best girl group” of the next generation. The group also looked back on the bumpy journey to their debut and discussed their love for BLACKPINK, IU and Girls’ Generation.