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BTS Set New Record for Total K-Pop Album Sales

Boy band BTS have set a new record for total album sales, selling more than any other act in Korean pop history.

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The band's agency Big Hit Entertainment said Thursday that BTS' cumulative album sales reached 20.32 million at the end of March, based on figures compiled by the Gaon Chart. The previous record was held by ballad singer Shin Seung-hun, who sold 17 million albums.

In terms of sales of an individual album, BTS sold 3.76 million copies of "Map of the Soul: Persona" last year, making it the bestselling album of all time. They went on to break that record with "Map of the Soul: 7", which has sold 4.11 million copies since its release in February.

Since the pop music business went through a major shift to streaming in 2000, it has become a rare thing to reach more than 10 million copies in total album sales.

In 2018, EXO achieved the 10-million milestone for the first time in the millennium, and BTS eventually topped 20 million.

Kim Jin-woo at Gaon Chart said, "The music market recently shifted to centering on fan bases, and this has allowed idol groups like BTS, Exo, SEVENTEEN and ATEEZ to lead the market in terms of album sales".

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