Mnet’s “Boys II Planet,” the latest installment in the K-pop audition franchise “Planet,” aims to uncover talent from Korea and China — the latter home to popular contestants, such as last season’s winner Zhang Hao, and a powerhouse voting bloc.

The new season splits into twin programs, “Boys II Planet K” and “Boys II Planet C,” each one catering to Korean and Chinese contestants, respectively, with the ultimate goal of creating a single boy band. The former will begin airing on Thursday, and the latter on Friday.


“During our previous season [‘Boys II Planet’ (2023)], there were many contestants from the Greater China region with unique charms and skills,” said Kim Shin-young, chief producer of the show, during a press conference hosted by Mnet’s operator CJ ENM on Wednesday in western Seoul.

“But some of those contestants couldn’t fully show their potential because our show was recorded in Korean — so this time, we really wanted to put the spotlight on contestants from Chinese regions as well,” he said.

With 80 contestants in each show, a total of 160 contestants compete to debut through the “Boys II Planet” program. This is a significant expansion from the previous season’s total of 98 contestants.

The initial plan was to create two separate groups from each version of the show, but this idea was later changed into creating a single group “in order to create synergy between the two very different teams, each with unique characteristics and potential,” according to Kim.

The number of final group members and the duration of the group members' contracts have not been confirmed yet.

Regarding the persistent concern over potential favoritism or unfair treatment, Kim stressed that transparency will remain the production team’s priority to maintain the series’ longevity and brand power over the long-term.

“If we try to force a narrative or unnaturally push someone forward, we’ll lose more than what we gain, since the audience will easily see through it,” he said.

Addressing concerns about whether the scale of the show might limit individual screen time for contestants, Kim said, “As I always say to the contestants over and over again, they need to show their talent, charms, skills, character or whatever shines, above all.”

The production team, however, is also trying to highlight all the contestants through promotional materials and other related content, he added.

As the “Planet” franchise — which began with ″Girls Planet 999: The Girls Saga” (2021), which birthed girl group Kep1er, followed by “Boys Planet” (2023), which launched ZeroBaseOne — has actively featured global contestants from the beginning, producers are already considering expanding the concept to other regions in future seasons.

Mentors for this season include Lim Han-byeol, Hyolyn, Back Koo-young and Justhis for both the K and C shows; Lee Seok-hoon, Kinky, Kany for the K edition; and Kim Jae-joong, Kep1er’s Xiaoting and Jrick for the C version.

“Compared to K, contestants from C tend to have less experience in training, so I focused on bringing out the potential in their talents and charms,” said the JYJ member.

“Only a few contestants will debut through this show,” Kim added. “But for everyone, this can be an opportunity for them to show the world who they are, so what I’ve told them is that they should never give up on their dreams.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]