“THE NEXT BTS IS BTS”: Jungkook joins Jimin, V & SUGA as the only soloists to sell over 1M copies on first day of album release in Hanteo’s history

BTS' Jungkook released his first-ever solo album worldwide on the morning of November 3, 2023 (EST), only to shatter various records in the international music industry. His solo album, titled GOLDEN—which bears the same moniker that the artist was given by his BTS members—made a new record as it became the first album by a K-Pop soloist to surpass over a million album sales on Hanteo on the first day of the album release.

It is crucial to note that Jungkook joined his bandmates with this feat on November 3, 2023. Apart from the golden maknae, BTS members Jimin (FACE), V aka Taehyung (LAYOVER), and SUGA aka Min Yoongi (D-DAY) were the only other K-Pop solo artists to have sold over a million album copies on Hanteo on the first day of their respective album releases.

The BTS ARMY celebrated the members' enormous achievement, despite the fact that the group is presently taking a break from its activities to fulfill their duty to serve in the South Korean military.

It is also important to highlight that Jungkook's solo album debut with GOLDEN has already surpassed 2 million pure sales on Hanteo—a first in the history of the Hanteo Chart.

As of now, GOLDEN has recorded a sale of 2,147,389 album copies, although the actual sales are still being counted.

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Fans flood social media with praises as Jungkook joins fellow BTS members in new achievement

BTS member Jimin recorded a total of over 1 million (1,021,532) album copies sold on Hanteo on the first day of his solo album release FACE on March 24, 2023.

Similarly, BTS V sold over 1.67 million (1,672,138) copies of his solo album LAYOVER on the first day of its release on the Hanteo Chart. LAYOVER was released on September 8, 2023.

SUGA sold over 1 million (1,072,311) copies of his solo album D-DAY, surpassing Jimin. D-DAY was released on April 9, 2023.

Upon selling over 2 million (2,147,389) album copies on November 3, Jungkook surpassed all of his fellow band members. He subsequently added another feather to his cap by becoming the first Korean solo artist to sell over 2 million copies on the Hanteo Chart on the first day of the album's release.

Fans flooded social media platforms and lauded Jungkook for achieving yet another victory.

Meanwhile, other BTS members have hit the million-seller list as well. On August 18, 2023, J-Hope's most recent album, Jack In The Box, was released physically as a CD and Hanteo reported that the album's incredible milestone of 1 million sales worldwide was exceeded, sending fans into a frenzy of anticipation.

Furthermore, BTS' Jin released his solo debut single, The Astronaut, in October 2022, and has since sold over a million copies (1,024,382) globally, according to Circle Chart figures cited by BigHit Music.

Moreover, Indigo by RM, released on December 2, 2022, became his third consecutive No.1 album in the US when it opened at the top of the US Billboard 200 with 108,000 album-equivalent units, including 28,000 pure album sales in its first week of release. However, this masterpiece by RM hasn't yet touched the million-seller mark.

As of July 2023, Indigo by BTS RM had sold over 800,000 copies domestically and over 100,000 units in the US. The well-acclaimed rapper and songwriter's debut solo album was awarded a double platinum certification in January 2023 by the prestigious Korea Music Content Association.

For the unversed, K-Pop album sales are tracked in real-time by the South Korean music chart system Hanteo Chart. The basis for it is information gathered from more than 1,500 record merchants throughout the world. Additionally, Korean music shows like Inkigayo, Show Champion, and Music Bank use the Hanteo Chart for computing processes while choosing the winners.

Furthermore, instead of providing an estimate, the Hanteo Chart computes actual sales for every confirmed purchase of an album copy. Similarly, album sales are also known as pure sales in the western part of the world.

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In other developments, Jungkook's GOLDEN has topped at No.1 on the iTunes Chart globally in over 70 countries in less than 24 hours of the album's release.

The remaining BTS members, Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook will also be sharing their respective enlistment dates by the end of 2023.

Fans are waiting with bated breaths as Namjoon and Jimin both have hinted at releasing new projects before they enlist. However, they haven't disclosed any further details on the topic.