Underdog boy bands eye redemption through 'BOYS II PLANET'

Six contestants for Mnet's upcoming survival show "BOYS II PLANET," set to premiere in July / Courtesy of Mnet

In the glittering world of K-pop, not every idol gets their moment in the spotlight. This July, members of underdog boy groups, including VERIVERY, WEi, DKB and DRIPPIN, will compete for a second shot at stardom in Mnet's upcoming survival show "BOYS II PLANET."

The new program follows contestants from two symbolic "planets" — "K" for Korea and "C" for China. Finalists from each side will ultimately unite on "BOYS II PLANET," where they will vie for a spot in a new global boy band.

Produced by Mnet, the network behind popular audition shows that launched groups like I.O.I, IZ*ONE, Wanna One and ZeroBaseOne, the new series has also drawn a diverse pool of contestants that includes active idol group members alongside rookie trainees.

Among the familiar names are Dongheon, Gyehyeon and Kangmin of VERIVERY, a seven-member group that debuted in 2018. Though the group previously reached the finals of Mnet's "Road to Kingdom" in 2020, the group struggled to maintain momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kim Jun-seo of six-member boy band WEi is returning to the survival show scene as well. He previously placed ninth on MBC's "Under Nineteen" in 2018 and debuted as part of the resulting project group 1THE9. He re-debuted with WEi in October 2020, but couldn't find a breakthrough.

Heechan and Harry June of Brave Entertainment's DKB are also joining the lineup. DKB debuted in 2020 and previously competed on JTBC's boy band reality show "Peak Time" in 2023.

The official teaser image for Mnet's upcoming boy band survival audition show "BOYS II PLANET," set to premiere in July / Courtesy of Mnet

From Woollim Entertainment's DRIPPIN, members Lee Hyeop and Kim Dong-yun are returning to survival competition six years after their "Produce X 101" appearance in 2019.

Also joining the competition are Huijun, Minjae and Win of MCND, along with Jayder, Leejeong and Wonjun from rookie group WHIB. Other participants include Chris of BLITZERS, Thanatorn of The Wind and Seowon, who recently departed from NINE.i.

Zihao, Hanyu and Xinlong of Boy Story — a group launched through collaboration between JYP Entertainment's Chinese branch and Tencent Music — will also appear in the program's C division, aiming to relaunch their careers.

With 160 contestants across both K and C versions, the Korean edition, "BOYS II PLANET K," will premiere on Mnet July 17, followed by "BOYS II PLANET C" on July 18.