This is a list of the best-selling albums of recorded music in South Korea. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and the album must have sold at least 1 million copies. As of March 2021, Map of the Soul: 7 by South Korean boy band BTS is the best-selling album of all time in the country. [3] Kim Gun-mo's 1995 studio album Wrongful Meeting previously held the record as the best-selling South Korean album for 24 years, with an estimated 3.3 million copies sold—this includes figures based on illegal sales [4]—until it was surpassed by BTS' Map of the Soul: Persona in 2019. [5] [6]
The Korea Video & Record Distributors Association (KVRDA) published the first South Korean sales charts, tallying album sales figures for the month of August and the March–August semester, on September 10, 1998. [7] Between 1999 and 2007, the Music Industry Association of Korea (MIAK) published monthly charts, with fifty chart positions and detailed sales for each album. [8] Following the sharp decline of domestic music sales in the 21st century, [9] the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) introduced the Gaon Album Chart in February 2010, which included a detailed breakdown of online chart data. [10] The KMCA began awarding sales certifications for albums in April 2018—only albums released after January 1, 2018 are eligible. [10] Certifications are not included in this list, because the Gaon Music Chart publishes detailed album sales.
All albums that have sold over one million copies in South Korea are by Korean artists, with the exception of Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard (1992) and Mariah Carey's Music Box (1993). BTS is the act with the most million-selling albums, having twelve, followed by Seventeen, with nine. In 2017, BTS' Love Yourself: Her became the first album released since 2001 to sell over 1 million copies, [11] [12] while in 2018 the band's Love Yourself: Answer became the first to sell over 2 million copies since 2000. [13] In 2019, the band's Map of the Soul: Persona became the first album to sell over 3 million copies since 1997. This was followed by Map of the Soul: 7, which became the first album in chart history to surpass 4 and 5 million sales, in 2020 and 2022 respectively. [14] [15] Seventeen's FML became the first album to sell over 6 million copies, in 2023. [16] In 2013, the combined sales of Exo's XOXO and its repackage exceeded 1 million copies, [17] while in 2019 BTS became the first act to sell 1 million copies of both an album and its repackage, when Wings and You Never Walk Alone each surpassed 1 million sales that year.
As of 2023, according to Circle Chart, [A] BTS is the best-selling artist in South Korean history, having sold more than 40 million albums. [19]
Keys | |
---|---|
† | Repackage album |
# | Compilation album |
‡ | Extended play |
& | Single album |
± | Original soundtrack |
Artist | Album | Year | Sales (as of date) |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seventeen | FML ‡ | 2023 | 6,343,884
[a] (March 2024) |
[20] |
Seventeen | Seventeenth Heaven ‡ | 2023 | 5,630,560
[a] (March 2024) |
[21] |
Stray Kids | 5-Star | 2023 | 5,258,819 (February 2024) |
[22] |
BTS | Map of the Soul: 7 | 2020 | 5,068,500 (December 2023) |
[23] |
BTS | Map of the Soul: Persona ‡ | 2019 | 4,666,656 (January 2024) |
[24] |
Seventeen | Face the Sun | 2022 | 4,311,217
[a] (March 2024) |
[25] |
NCT Dream | ISTJ | 2023 | 4,279,203
[a] (December 2023) |
[26] |
Stray Kids | Rock-Star ‡ | 2023 | 4,256,838
[a] (March 2024) |
[27] |
BTS | Be | 2020 | 3,794,402 (May 2022) |
[28] |
Stray Kids | Maxident ‡ | 2022 | 3,615,480 (March 2024) |
[29] |
BTS | Proof # | 2022 | 3,518,948 (April 2023) |
[30] |
BTS | Love Yourself: Answer # | 2018 | 3,413,500 (December 2023) |
[31] |
TXT | The Name Chapter: Temptation ‡ | 2023 | 3,272,776
[a] (February 2024) |
[32] |
BTS | Love Yourself: Tear | 2018 | 3,227,612
[a] (January 2024) |
[33] |
BTS | Butter & | 2021 | 3,197,001 (April 2023) |
[34] |
BTS | Love Yourself: Her ‡ | 2017 | 3,153,946
[a] (February 2024) |
[35] |
Blackpink | Born Pink | 2022 | 2,905,577
[a] (March 2024) |
[36] |
Kim Gun-mo | Wrongful Meeting | 1995 | 2,860,000
[c] (June 2015) |
[39] |
Lee Moon-sae | When Love Passes By | 1987 | 2,850,000 (July 2015) |
[40] |
Seventeen | Attacca ‡ | 2021 | 2,849,838
[a] (March 2024) |
[41] |
Jungkook | Golden | 2023 | 2,755,176
[a] (March 2024) |
[42] |
TXT | The Name Chapter: Freefall | 2023 | 2,593,446
[a] (February 2024) |
[43] |
Lee Moon-sae | Standing Under the Shade of a Roadside Tree | 1988 | 2,580,000 (July 2015) |
[40] |
Kim Jong-hwan | Reason for Existence | 1996 | 2,500,000 (August 2017) |
[44] |
Shin Seung-hun | To Heaven | 1996 | 2,470,000 (October 2015) |
[45] |
NCT 127 | Sticker | 2021 | 2,434,408 (February 2022) |
[46] |
Seo Taiji and Boys | Seo Taiji and Boys IV | 1995 | 2,400,000 (January 2018) |
[47] |
V | Layover | 2023 | 2,265,853
[a] (February 2024) |
[48] |
Seo Taiji and Boys | Seo Taiji and Boys II | 1993 | 2,200,000 (January 2018) |
[47] |
NCT Dream | Hot Sauce | 2021 | 2,168,436 (December 2022) |
[49] |
NCT Dream | Dream()scape ‡ | 2024 | 2,148,179
[a] (March 2024) |
[50] |
Jo Kwan-woo | Memory | 1995 | 2,140,000
[d] (February 2019) |
[52] |
Aespa | My World ‡ | 2023 | 2,135,635
[a] (February 2024) |
[53] |
NewJeans | Get Up ‡ | 2023 | 2,106,901
[a] (March 2024) |
[54] |
NCT Dream | Glitch Mode | 2022 | 2,095,544 (December 2022) |
[55] |
Ive | I've Mine | 2023 | 2,089,114
[a] (March 2024) |
[56] |
Seventeen | Sector 17 † | 2022 | 2,078,984
[a] (February 2024) |
[57] |
Jo Sung-mo | Let Me Love | 2000 | 2,072,029 (December 2001) |
[58] [59] |
Jo Sung-mo | For Your Soul | 1999 | 2,047,152 (March 2000) |
[60] |
Zerobaseone | Youth in the Shade ‡ | 2023 | 2,037,790 (December 2023) |
[61] |
Enhypen | Orange Blood ‡ | 2023 | 2,030,607
[a] (March 2024) |
[62] |
NCT Dream | Candy ‡ | 2022 | 2,009,119
[a] (December 2023) |
[63] |
Yoo Jae-ha | Because I Love You | 1987 | 2,000,000 (June 2011) |
[64] |
Byun Jin-sub | Back To You | 1989 | 2,000,000
[e] (March 2018) |
[66] |
Artist | Album | Year | Sales (as of date) |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stray Kids | Oddinary ‡ | 2022 | 1,988,423 (March 2024) |
[67] |
NCT 127 | 2 Baddies | 2022 | 1,979,926
[a] (December 2022) |
[68] |
TXT | Minisode 2: Thursday's Child ‡ | 2022 | 1,956,290 (February 2024) |
[69] |
DJ DOC | DJ2DOC | 1996 | 1,950,000 (May 2019) |
[70] |
NCT 127 | Fact Check | 2023 | 1,925,318
[a] (December 2023) |
[71] |
Seventeen | Heng:garæ ‡ | 2020 | 1,918,011
[a] (March 2024) |
[72] |
Exo | Exist | 2023 | 1,897,477
[a] (December 2023) |
[73] |
Zerobaseone | Melting Point ‡ | 2023 | 1,869,783 (February 2024) |
[74] |
Treasure | Reboot | 2023 | 1,864,072
[a] (October 2023) |
[75] |
g.o.d | Chapter 3 | 2000 | 1,849,381 (June 2001) |
[76] [77] |
Aespa | Girls ‡ | 2022 | 1,844,776 (March 2023) |
[78] |
Stray Kids | Noeasy | 2021 | 1,843,017 (March 2024) |
[79] |
NCT | Universe | 2021 | 1,838,636 (December 2022) |
[80] |
Kim Gun-mo | Excuse | 1993 | 1,830,000 (Sep 2011) |
[81] |
Various artists | Sonata # | 2001 | 1,815,296 (December 2003) |
[82] |
Kim Gun-mo | Exchange | 1996 | 1,810,000 (September 2011) |
[81] |
Byun Jin-sub | To Be Alone | 1988 | 1,800,000 (December 2015) |
[65] |
Seo Taiji and Boys | Seo Taiji and Boys | 1992 | 1,800,000 (January 2018) |
[47] |
Shin Seung-hun | After A Long Time | 1994 | 1,800,000 (October 2006) |
[83] |
Ateez | The World EP.Fin: Will | 2023 | 1,788,063
[a] (February 2024) |
[84] |
Enhypen | Dark Blood ‡ | 2023 | 1,758,718
[a] (March 2024) |
[85] |
Jimin | Face | 2023 | 1,755,685
[a] (December 2023) |
[86] |
Ive | After Like & | 2022 | 1,749,390 (February 2024) |
[87] |
g.o.d | Chapter 4 | 2001 | 1,738,082 (December 2002) |
[88] |
Seventeen | Your Choice ‡ | 2021 | 1,713,841 (February 2024) |
[89] |
Shin Seung-hun | Because I Love You | 1993 | 1,700,000 (October 2006) |
[83] |
Ive | I've Ive | 2023 | 1,684,999
[a] (March 2024) |
[90] |
Twice | Ready to Be ‡ | 2023 | 1,674,143 (December 2023) |
[91] |
NCT | Resonance Pt. 1 | 2020 | 1,670,800
[a] (September 2022) |
[92] |
NewJeans | OMG & | 2023 | 1,667,271
[a] (February 2024) |
[93] |
Blackpink | The Album | 2020 | 1,659,681
[a] (January 2024) |
[94] |
(G)I-dle | 2 | 2024 | 1,658,139 (March 2024) |
[95] |
Seventeen | An Ode | 2019 | 1,619,381
[a] (March 2024) |
[96] |
Seo Taiji and Boys | Seo Taiji and Boys III | 1994 | 1,600,000 (April 1996) |
[97] |
Roo'ra | The Angel Who Lost Wings | 1995 | 1,600,000 (January 1996) |
[98] |
Jo Sung-mo | Classic | 2000 | 1,599,111 (September 2000) |
[99] |
NCT | Resonance Pt. 2 | 2020 | 1,591,160
[a] (August 2022) |
[100] |
Enhypen | Manifesto: Day 1 ‡ | 2022 | 1,586,220
[a] (May 2023) |
[101] |
Shin Seung-hun | Invisible Love | 1991 | 1,580,000 (October 2006) |
[83] |
Le Sserafim | Unforgiven | 2023 | 1,571,548
[a] (December 2023) |
[102] |
NewJeans | New Jeans ‡ | 2022 | 1,570,809
[a] (March 2024) |
[103] |
Jisoo | Me & | 2023 | 1,542,205
[a] (December 2023) |
[104] |
BTS | Wings | 2016 | 1,528,355 (April 2023) |
[105] |
NCT Dream | Beatbox † | 2022 | 1,517,211 (December 2022) |
[106] |
Ateez | The World EP.2: Outlaw ‡ | 2023 | 1,501,632
[a] (December 2023) |
[107] |
Lee Moon-sae | I Don't Know Yet | 1985 | 1,500,000 (July 2015) |
[40] |
H.O.T. | We Hate All Kinds of Violence | 1996 | 1,500,000 (June 2015) |
[108] |
H.O.T. | Wolf and Sheep | 1997 | 1,500,000 (December 1998) |
[109] |
BTS | You Never Walk Alone † | 2017 | 1,473,954 (January 2024) |
[110] |
Enhypen | Dimension: Dilemma | 2021 | 1,473,848 (March 2024) |
[111] |
(G)I-dle | I Feel ‡ | 2023 | 1,452,543
[a] (March 2024) |
[112] |
Exo | Don't Mess Up My Tempo | 2018 | 1,452,030 (December 2018) |
[113] |
Shin Seung-hun | Reflection of You in Your Smile | 1990 | 1,400,000 (October 2015) |
[45] |
Kim Won-jun | While You Were Not Here | 1994 | 1,400,000 (May 2017) |
[114] |
Kim Gun-mo | Another Days | 2001 | 1,397,388 (February 2002) |
[115] |
H.O.T. | I Yah! | 1999 | 1,383,985 (December 1999) |
[116] |
NCT Dream | Hello Future † | 2021 | 1,382,783
[a] (August 2022) |
[117] |
TXT | The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape † | 2021 | 1,329,872 (March 2024) |
[118] |
Exo | Don't Fight the Feeling ‡ | 2021 | 1,326,189 (December 2021) |
[119] |
Shin Seung-hun | Shin Seung Hun VI | 1998 | 1,310,000 (July 2011) |
[ citation needed] |
Agust D | D-Day | 2023 | 1,309,043
[a] (December 2023) |
[120] |
Aespa | Drama ‡ | 2023 | 1,304,245
[a] (March 2024) |
[121] |
Jo Kwan-woo | My Third Story About... | 1996 | 1,300,000 (March 2001) |
[51] |
Seo Taiji | Ultramania | 2000 | 1,300,000 (April 2003) |
[122] |
Seventeen | Semicolon ‡ | 2020 | 1,277,935 (January 2024) |
[123] |
Twice | With You-th ‡ | 2024 | 1,237,984
[a] (March 2024) |
[124] |
Le Sserafim | Antifragile ‡ | 2022 | 1,228,075
[a] (February 2024) |
[125] |
NCT 127 | Ay-Yo † | 2023 | 1,212,376
[a] (December 2023) |
[126] |
Kim Gun-mo | Myself | 1997 | 1,210,000 (September 2011) |
[81] |
Itzy | Kill My Doubt ‡ | 2023 | 1,207,934
[a] (August 2023) |
[127] |
Byun Jin-sub | Farewell | 1990 | 1,200,000 (March 2018) |
[66] |
Whitney Houston/various artists | The Bodyguard Original Soundtrack Album ± | 1992 | 1,200,000 (Jan 2010) |
[128] |
Twice | Between 1&2 ‡ | 2022 | 1,170,458 (March 2024) |
[129] |
NCT 127 | Favorite † | 2021 | 1,165,336
[a] (December 2021) |
[130] |
Le Sserafim | Easy ‡ | 2024 | 1,163,827
[a] (March 2024) |
[131] |
Lim Young-woong | Im Hero | 2022 | 1,149,643 (December 2022) |
[132] |
BTS | The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever # | 2016 | 1,138,820 (December 2022) |
[133] |
Seo Taiji | Seo Tai Ji | 1998 | 1,133,736 (September 1998) |
[134] |
J-Hope | Jack in the Box | 2022 | 1,124,444
[a] (August 2023) |
[135] |
Clon | Are You Ready? | 1996 | 1,120,000 (August 2015) |
[70] |
H.O.T. | Resurrection | 1998 | 1,103,439 (February 1999) |
[136] |
TXT | The Chaos Chapter: Freeze | 2021 | 1,100,038 (January 2024) |
[137] |
Kim Hyun-sik | My Love by My Side | 1991 | 1,100,000
[f] (January 2014) |
[138] |
Kim Jong-hwan | For Love | 1997 | 1,100,000
[g] (February 2019) |
[139] |
NCT 127 | Neo Zone | 2020 | 1,064,647
[a] (October 2022) |
[140] |
Itzy | Cheshire ‡ | 2022 | 1,056,316 (February 2023) |
[141] |
NCT | Golden Age | 2023 | 1,048,222 (December 2023) |
[142] |
Jin | The Astronaut & | 2022 | 1,040,155 (December 2022) |
[143] |
Riize | Get a Guitar & | 2023 | 1,038,084 (December 2023) |
[144] |
Itzy | Checkmate ‡ | 2022 | 1,032,930 (December 2022) |
[145] |
Baekhyun | Delight ‡ | 2020 | 1,031,993
[a] (March 2021) |
[146] |
Baekhyun | Bambi ‡ | 2021 | 1,007,625 (June 2021) |
[147] |
Ateez | The World EP.1: Movement ‡ | 2022 | 1,007,575 (December 2022) |
[148] |
BTS | The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 ‡ | 2015 | 1,001,622 (April 2023) |
[149] |
Mariah Carey | Music Box | 1993 | 1,000,682 (December 1996) |
[150] |
The Pearl Sisters | My Dear | 1968 | 1,000,000 (February 2014) |
[151] |
Shin Jung Hyun & Yup Juns | Shin Jung Hyun & Yup Juns Vol. 1 | 1974 | 1,000,000 (September 2007) |
[152] |
Cho Yong-pil | Woman Outside the Window | 1980 | 1,000,000 (March 2018) |
[153] |
Joo Hyun-mi | Couple's Party | 1984 | 1,000,000 (June 2015) |
[154] |
Kim Wan-sun | Pierrot Smiles at Us | 1990 | 1,000,000 (February 2017) |
[155] |
015B | The Third Wave | 1992 | 1,000,000 (October 2016) |
[156] |
Kim Gun-mo | Sleepless Rainy Night | 1992 | 1,000,000 (January 2018) |
[157] |
015B | The Fourth Movement | 1993 | 1,000,000 (October 2016) |
[156] |
Jo Kwan-woo | My First Story | 1994 | 1,000,000 (March 2001) |
[51] |
015B | Big 5 | 1994 | 1,000,000 (October 2016) |
[156] |
DJ DOC | 4th Album | 1997 | 1,000,000 (August 2016) |
[158] |
Jo Kwan-woo | Waiting | 1997 | 1,000,000 (April 2013) |
[159] |
Sales of standard release and reissue albums in a year. This list does not include sales of the same album in other years apart from the specified calendar year. For a list of total sales, see sections above.
Year | Artist | Album | Sales | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Seo Taiji | Seo Tai Ji | 1,133,736 [h] | [134] |
1999 | Jo Sung-mo | For Your Soul | 1,949,043 | [116] |
2000 | Let Me Love | 1,968,967 | [76] | |
2001 | Various artists | Sonata # | 1,688,129 | [160] |
2002 | Cool | 7even | 647,052 | [161] |
2003 | Kim Gun-mo | Hestory | 529,416 | [162] |
2004 | Seo Taiji | 7th Issue | 482,066 | [163] |
2005 | SG Wannabe | Saldaga | 414,855 [i] | [164] |
2006 | TVXQ | "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. | 349,317 | [165] |
2007 | SG Wannabe | The Sentimental Chord | 190,998 | [166] |
2010 | Super Junior | Bonamana | 200,193 | [167] |
2011 | Girls' Generation | The Boys | 385,348 | [168] |
2012 | Super Junior | Sexy, Free & Single | 356,431 | [169] |
2013 | Exo | Growl (Korean Version) † | 335,823 | [170] |
2014 | Exo-K | Overdose (Korean Version) ‡ | 385,047 | [171] |
2015 | Exo | Exodus (Korean Version) | 478,856 | [172] |
2016 | BTS | Wings | 751,301 | [173] |
2017 | Love Yourself: Her ‡ | 1,493,443 | [174] | |
2018 | Love Yourself: Answer # | 2,197,808 | [175] | |
2019 | Map of the Soul: Persona ‡ | 3,718,230 | [176] | |
2020 | Map of the Soul: 7 | 4,376,975 | [177] | |
2021 | Butter & | 2,999,407 | [178] | |
2022 | Proof # | 3,482,598 | [179] | |
2023 | Seventeen | FML ‡ | 5,546,930 | [180] |