To say that BTS is the first
thing in the minds of the Western Hemisphere, like the US, when “K-Pop” is
mentioned, would feel like selling the boy band short. The magnificent idol
seven of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook, have done some
impressive heavy lifting to once again revitalize world attention to the South
Korean music scene. The fact that they have their own internationally-released
mobile game is just a sign that, like the app’s title, Earth is becoming a “BTS
World.” And now they have gotten a global achievement as stated by Guinness
World Records.
The Manila Bulletin reports that “Map of the Soul: Persona,” the
sixth album of BTS released about two months ago in April, has now been listed
by Guinness World Records as the all-time best-selling South Korean music
album. The citation notes that “Map of the Soul: Persona” sold 3,399,302 copies
in the K-Pop group’s own country within a period of one month after its
release. Guinness took the statistics for this record from Gaon Music Chart,
South Korea’s own Billboard which publicizes the top K-Music albums and
singles. Earlier this June, Gaon even awarded BTS a triple-million
certification, the first time this distinction was given.
Back to Guinness, their new
record listing adds that the former World Record holder for what BTS has
achieved (all-time best-selling Korean album) had been “Wrongful Encounter” by
Kim Gun-mo in 1995. That one racked up 3.3 million sales, meaning BTS’ “Map of
the Soul: Persona” only outstripped it by several tens of thousands of copies.
But the seven-man boy band does not look like it will stop rising to new
heights anytime soon. After all, they also have a prior Guinness Record for
their single “Idol” from their 2018 album “Love Yourself: Answer.” Namely, it has
achieved “the most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours, and most viewed
YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-pop group.”
With their latest album having
flown high on both Gaon and Billboard Top 200, BTS is only becoming more
prominent as international stars from South Korean in similar fashion to PSY in
the earlier half of this decade. But their popularity looks to be aiming to
last longer. “BTS World,” their mobile game app developed by Netmarble,
released Wednesday on June 26, and it allows players to assume the role of the
BTS talent manager during their debut, maneuvering the group and its members
into the superstardom they have now.
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