This article is by Shin Ha-nee and read by an artificial voice.

It is safe to say that BTS redefined what K-pop is capable of. The history of the seven-piece superstar has been marked by relentless new highs and unprecedented milestones, from global recognition to record-shattering chart performances.
In the group's three-year absence, however, the K-pop landscape has continued to evolve.
BTS, which used to set new records only to break them with its next release, no longer stands unchallenged in every corner of K-pop's hall of fame. Instead, it returns to an industry it propelled onto the global stage — as a formidable contender set out to reclaim its throne in certain areas. Acts such as Blackpink, Seventeen and Stray Kids have built on the septet's global footsteps, expanding the boundaries of what a K-pop act can achieve and rewriting records once thought untouchable.

Now, BTS is poised to make history once again with its upcoming fifth full-length album, "Arirang." The question is not whether it will break new records — but which ones will fall in its wake.
Here's a look back at the numbers that defined the past three years of K-pop, from the new milestones reached, the records rewritten, and the industry's growth — or stagnation — as told through the numbers.

Album sales at unthinkable highs

When BTS made history as the first Korean act ever to sell 1 million album copies in the first week of the release with "Love Yourself: Tear" (2018), few expected the number would soon double to 2 million copies with "Map of the Soul: Persona" (2019), and then triple to 3 million with "Map of the Soul: 7" (2020).
"Map of the Soul: 7," the group's fourth full-length album, recorded 3.38 million first-week sales, according to Hanteo Chart, one of the most widely cited K-pop chart performance trackers run by Hanteo Global.
Then came the Covid-19 pandemic.

With tours indefinitely suspended and the global K-pop audience growing amid lockdowns, purchasing power became increasingly concentrated on physical albums, amplifying an already accelerating market.
The surge peaked in 2023, when BTS members began to pursue solo careers after Jin's enlistment in December 2022 and younger groups began rising on the horizon amid K-pop's expanding global presence.
Seventeen's "FML" (2023) became the first K-pop album to surpass 4 million copies in first-week sales alone. Stray Kids followed with "5-Star" (2023), selling more than 4.6 million copies. Later that year, Seventeen once again broke the ceiling with "Seventeenth Heaven" (2023), which moved 5.09 million copies, an unprecedented all-time high.
Since 2024, however, overall physical album sales have entered a noticeable decline, often attributed to a natural market correction following the post-pandemic surge, compounded by growing concerns of environmental impact and increasingly aggressive sales tactics that inflated sales figures.

In this stagnated market, BTS's "Arirang" already logged 4.06 million preorders within a week of opening orders. While susceptible to external factors such as logistics, the final tally is highly likely to surpass the group's previous record set by "Map of the Soul: 7," and may once again cross the 4 million threshold — or even the 5 million mark — despite the changed landscape.
"I believe the [first-week sales] figure will likely surpass 4 million, and possibly reach 5 million," Hanteo Global CEO Kwak Young-ho told the Korea JoongAng Daily.
While acknowledging economic headwinds and market fragmentation, Kwak noted that the comeback's significance as the group's first military release would likely further amplify demand.
"Of course, there might be many variables and whether a new record is set should not determine how we celebrate BTS," he said. "But from an industry perspective, reaching 4 to 5 million is certainly within range."
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