On Sept. 22, a news outlet discussed the timeline of K-pop artists from the second to fourth generations who reached 100,000 copies in their first-week sales on the Hanteo Chart and who among them went beyond the mark.
The "first-week album sales" is also referred to as the "Initial Chodong Album Sales," especially on the Hanteo Chart. It has become a new standard for measuring fans' interest in the artists' comeback. Over the years, the sales figures of K-pop artists in the first week are consistently increasing as the size of their fandoms also grow.
TVXQ is the First K-pop Artist to Record 100,000 Copies in First-Week Sales on Hanteo Chart
The first-ever Korean act to sell 100,000 copies in the first week is SM Entertainment's boy group, TVXQ, who was initially composed of five members.
TVXQ's fourth full-length album "MIROTIC," which was released in September 2008, exceeded 110,000 copies in its first-week sales on Hanteo. This record was not easily broken since then.
EXO Becomes Second K-pop Artist to Attains 100,000 Copies in First-Week Sales on Hanteo
After five years, EXO become the second artist to achieve 100,000 copies on Hanteo in the first week. Their first full-length album "XOXO" sold a total of 118,598 copies from June 3 to 9, 2013.
EXO's "XOXO" is also the first album in 12 years, since g.o.d's fourth album and Kim Gun Mo's seventh album in 2001, to sell one million copies. The main album sold over 470,000 copies and its repackaged version surpassed 535,000 copies.
BTS, GOT7, WANNA ONE, & More are the Subsequent K-pop Artists to Achieve 100,000 Copies in First-Week Sales on Hanteo in 2016-18
In 2016, BTS's "WINGS" sold more than 100,000 copies in one day alone. It went on to sell a total of 347,403 copies in the first week.
In 2017, WANNA ONE (which was formed through Mnet's "Produce 101 Season 2") sold over 100,000 copies on Hanteo in the first week with every album they released.
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More K-pop boy groups such as SEVENTEEN, GOT7, and Super Junior dropped excellent albums that all recorded more than 100,000 copies in its first-week sales on the Hanteo Chart.
Apart from boy groups, JYP's girl group TWICE also succeeded in surpassing 100,000 copies with their first special album, "TWICEcoaster: LANE 2," released in February 2017.
In 2018, YG Entertainment's new girl group BLACKPINK quickly sold over 100,000 copies with their debut album "SQUARE UP."
Among solo artists, Hwang Chi Yeol was the only one to obtain the feat at that time.
X1, TXT, and More K-pop Soloists Record 100,000 Copies in First-Week Sales on Hanteo in 2019
In 2019, more K-pop groups were able to achieve 100,000 copies and more in the first week.
READ MORE: ATEEZ Surpasses Own Best Record for First-Week Sales in Less than Two Days
X1 (which was formed through Mnet's "Produce X 101") impressively sold over 524,000 copies, becoming the highest first-week sales for a debut album in Hanteo history.
Big Hit's new boy group TXT also managed to sell 100,000 copies in the first week with their first full-length album "The Dream Chapter: MAGIC."
Also, in 2019, numerous K-pop soloists reached the milestone and even went beyond it: Kang Daniel (460,000 copies), EXO Baekhyun (380,000 copies), IU (140,000 copies), EXO Chen (130,000 copies), Girls' Generation Taeyeon (100,000 copies), and many more.
Stray Kids, ENHYPEN, ATEEZ, ITZY, & More Surpass 100,000 Copies in First-Week Sales on Hanteo Chart in 2020-21
In 2020, the number of albums that exceeded 100,000 copies in the first week totaled 49 albums, including albums by 27 boy groups, 11 girl groups, and 11 soloists.
As of Sept. 21, a total of 34 albums have exceeded 100,000 copies on the Hanteo Chart, including albums by 23 boy groups, four girl groups, and three female soloists.
In 2020, some of the K-pop groups who achieved the feat: ENHYPEN (280,000 copies), ATEEZ (230,000 copies), Stray Kids (230,000 copies), The Boyz (210,000 copies), TREASURE (180,000 copies), ITZY (140,000 copies), MAMAMOO (120,000 copies), and (G)I-DLE (110,000 copies).
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Meanwhile, the soloists are: EXO Suho (210,000 copies), EXO Kai (250,000 copies) SHINee Taemin (110,000 copies), and more.
In 2021, some of the K-pop groups who sold over 100,000 copies in the first week are: ASTRO (280,000 copies), Red Velvet (200,000 copies) Golden Child (120,000 copies), WayV (120,000 copies), CIX (110,000 copies), and more.
Among soloists, the ones who stood out are Red Velvet Wendy (110,000 copies), EXO D.O. (310,000 copies), BLACKPINK Rosé (440,000 copies), and BLACKPINK Lisa (730,000 copies).
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
