Mnet’s “Boys 2 Planet” Launches China-Exclusive Spinoff “Final Race” to Create New Idol Group Composed Solely of Chinese Participants

Mnet’s global idol audition program “Boys 2 Planet” will officially debut a new group through its final live broadcast on September 25, while simultaneously launching a spinoff program specifically for Chinese trainees titled “Boys Planet C Final Race.” With the majority of the original 80 Chinese trainees in Group C having already been eliminated and returned to China, those left aside from the final selected members will gather again to compete. This project aims to produce a new idol group made up entirely of Chinese individuals, though the team’s name and exact member count have not yet been determined. The production team stated their intention to launch activities primarily targeting the Chinese market, a strategic choice reportedly driven by the ongoing “Hanhan Law” in China, which restricts Korean idols’ activities there. Korean idols are currently only able to hold sign-ups, brief Q&A sessions, or small-scale performances locally. CP Kim Shin-young mentioned that the potential of participants from Chinese-speaking regions was not fully highlighted in the first season and explained, “We decided to operate Group K and Group C separately to focus on uncovering the individuality of Chinese trainees.” He further outlined the background for creating “C Planet” by saying, “This time, we want to give full emphasis to our friends from Chinese-speaking areas,” adding that there are plans to expand this concept to other regions in the future. While ZEROBASEONE and IVE, both born from the first season, were groups active in South Korea, this project is expected to be the first instance of introducing a localized idol group with completely different nationalities. A representative from CJ ENM Mnet confirmed, “It is true that we are planning this program. As it is still in the early stages, various options are under discussion.”