South korea: South Korea's exports of K-pop albums reached a record high in the first half of the year, driven in part by BTS' fifth studio album, "Arirang," government data revealed on Friday. K-pop album exports amounted to US$257.48 million from January to June, marking a 125 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Customs Service's import and export trade statistics highlighted that the United States emerged as the largest importer of K-pop albums during this timeframe, with imports totaling $74.12 million. Following the United States were China and Japan, with imports valued at $61.18 million and $45.61 million, respectively. Other significant importers included Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Britain, France, and Poland.
BTS, recognized as one of the world's leading boy bands, released its first new album in nearly four years in March. The album, along with its lead single, achieved top positions on Billboard's main charts. Meanwhile, BLACKPINK contributed to the surge in exports by releasing its third mini album, "Deadline," in February, which had sold nearly 2 million copies by June.