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Albums are an integral part of the South Korean music industry because of the variety of content it offers. The best-selling K-pop albums show the demand for the artists. The best way to know the popularity of any artist is through their sales.
Hanteo showcases real-time album sales of artists, and this chart is also used to calculate points for music shows.
With the growing popularity of K-pop worldwide, more and more people are buying their favorite artists’ albums, further attributing to an increase in their sales both domestically and globally.
10 best-selling K-pop albums on Hanteo charts
10) Your Choice - SEVENTEEN
SEVENTEEN’s album Your Choice, released in 2021 sold over 1.42 million copies. Your Choice is also SEVENTEEN’s album with the highest sales in the first week on Hanteo selling over 1.36 million copies. This EP also marks the group’s first entry on the Billboard 200 charts.
9) minisode 2:Thursday's Child - TXT
TXT's 2022 album minisode 2: Thursday's Child has quickly climbed up the ranks of the best-selling K-pop albums of all time on the Hanteo charts. Despite having only been released on May 9, the album has sold over 1.43 million copies in just a few months.
8) Love Yourself: Tear - BTS
BTS is one of the most prominent groups in the K-pop music industry and it’s no surprise that their 2018 album, Love Yourself: Tear, has managed to maintain its place at number 8 with over 1.52 million copies sold since its release.
With its release in 2018 South Korea saw its biggest pre-order sale for an album, selling over 1.44 million copies in less than a week, breaking its own record set by Love Yourself: Her.
7) Glitch Mode - NCT Dream
NCT Dream became a million-seller again with the release of their album Glitch Mode in 2022. They are seventh on the list of best-selling K-pop albums after having sold over 1.68 million copies.
The NCT sub-unit comprising the youngest members of the group made history amongst SM artists by achieving such a feat. They achieved a million sales quicker than their previous album Hot Sauce.
6) Hot Sauce - NCT Dream
With the release of their 2021 album Hot Sauce, NCT Dream became a million-seller for the first time. They were also the only SM artists to have achieved this feat. They have sold over 1.85 million copies of their album till date.
They are also the most successful NCT sub-unit, both internationally and domestically.
5) Attacca - SEVENTEEN
SEVENTEEN’s Attacca release in 2021 is the fifth on the list of best-selling K-pop albums in history. It has sold over 1.99 million copies and is also SEVENTEEN's highest-selling album till date.
4) Butter - BTS
Despite being an album with only two songs, BTS’ Butter album sold like hotcakes. Released in 2021, the album has sold over 2.28 million copies. Butter even sold around 2 million copies in the first week of its release in South Korea, making it one of the best-selling K-pop albums in the first week on the Hanteo charts.
3) Map of the Soul: Persona - BTS
The Map of the Soul: Persona is BTS’ 2019 EP which shook the world. It became the highest-selling album in South Korea on release as well as the best-selling album in the US in the first half of 2019. It has sold over 2.74 million copies, according to Hanteo charts and is third on the list of Hanteo's best-selling K-pop albums.
2) BE - BTS
BTS’ 2020 album BE is second on the list of best-selling K-pop albums in history, according to the Hanteo charts. The album has sold over 3.16 copies in less than two years. The album was released during the peak of the pandemic as a balm to soothe the pain of the fans.
It is a very special album as the entire album was exclusively curated by the members and talks of their personal experiences with the pandemic as well.
1) Map of the Soul: 7 - BTS
It is to no one’s surprise that a BTS album has topped the list of best-selling K-pop albums in the history of Hanteo charts. The Map of the Soul:7 was released in 2020 and it demolished every album chart known to humanity with its power.
The album has sold over 3.99 million copies in less than two years, 3.37 million of which were sold in the first week itself, according to Hanteo chart’s data.
It is currently the best-selling album in the history of South Korea and is also the highest-selling album globally in 2020 according to IFPI. It also topped all the album charts in the 10 major music markets.
With 5 albums on the list, BTS is leading the race for the best-selling K-pop album in the history of the South Korean music industry. It will be interesting to see how their new album Proof will fare on the list.
