Mnet, the music entertainment channel owned by Korea’s CJ ENM, is partnering with Universal Music Group’s Republic Collective on an initiative to produce and launch a global K-pop girl group.
Under the partnership, Republic will collaborate across the full scope of the project, dubbed Girls Planet 2027, from production through to the debut group’s U.S. promotions and global rollout next year.
The initiative forms part of CJ ENM’s Music Creative eco-System (MCS) – which encompasses IP planning, platforms and artist management – and is aimed at driving the global expansion of K-pop.
A previous MCS initiative, Girls Planet 999 in 2021, gave rise to global girl group Kep1er, while the latest global group to emerge from MCS is Alpha Drive One, formed through Mnet’s global K-pop debut project Boys II Planet in September 2025, backed by 26 million votes from fans across 223 regions and countries.
In January 2026, Alpha Drive One released their debut album Euphoria, led by title track Freak Alarm, which sold more than 1.44 million copies – the second-highest-selling debut album in K-pop history.
“We are delighted to join forces with Republic to find and launch our next major global girl group,” said Harry H.K.Shin, Head of Music Entertainment at CJ ENM. “Through this partnership, we look forward to discovering extraordinary talent from every corner of the world and introducing them to global audiences.”
The global search has already started. Mnet Plus opened online applications on May 1 and has already received more than 36,000 applications – a record high for Mnet’s audition series – with the Americas making up nearly a third of all applicants.
Applications are accepted in multiple languages including Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. Applicants must be born before January 1, 2013, and are welcome to apply regardless of whether they are independent trainees, agency trainees, or currently debuted artists. All must also be eligible for international travel.
In addition to online applications, large-scale on-site auditions are set to take place at KCON LA 2026 from August 14-16 in downtown Los Angeles, with further details to be announced.
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