SEVENTEEN's Mingyu Was Once DK, And DK Was The8, And The8 Was Louie

Some SEVENTEEN members, who do not use their legal names on stage, have catchy stage names that make them that much more memorable. And while these member-to-name matches sound like they were made in heaven, the naming process wasn’t that simple. Back in 2017, at the first “Carat Land” fan meeting, SEVENTEEN members revealed that their current stage names weren’t actually theirs to start with.

First, Mingyu — whose legal name is Kim Mingyu — was going to be called Dokyeom, or DK. In fact, Mingyu was actively addressed by this name. In some of the earlier videos capturing SEVENTEEN members as trainees, Mingyu can be seen responding to “DK”. Mingyu ended up debuting as Mingyu though, and Carats can’t imagine Mingyu being anything else.

The name “Dokyeom”, which means “to go many ways”, now belongs to DK. While DK’s legal name is Lee Seokmin, Carats often believe Dokyeom is his name because it suits him so well. DK, however, was actually going to be called The8. Back when SEVENTEEN members as trainees were deciding their stage names, S.Coups, Hoshi, and Wonwoo played a prank on DK and told him that his stage name would be “Yongpal” (pal being eight). While The8, or even Yongpal, would have been okay for Carats, there is no other name that really suits DK like DK.

Last but not least, The8, whose legal name is Xu Minghao — or Seo Myungho as Koreans like to call him, would have taken the stage name Louie. While unverifiable, it is most likely that the name “The8” ended up being given to The8, considering the fact that 8 is a lucky number in the Chinese culture. The nickname “Yongpal” ended up following its origin and sticking with The8 as well. Now, SEVENTEEN members endearingly call The8 by Yongpal!

So there you have it. Once upon a time in Carat Land, Mingyu was DK, DK was The8, and The8 was Louie. That wouldn’t have been too terrible either, but Carats agree SEVENTEEN’s current stage names are perfect as they are!