The year witnessed the shattering of records once thought impossible, with boy group Seventeen ushering in the era of single album sales surpassing 6 million copies and girl group NewJeans claiming a 99-day number one hit on Korea's largest music platform, Melon.
Records that seemed unimaginable just a year ago have indeed been realized this year. Boy group Seventeen has opened a new chapter in K-Pop by selling 6 million copies of a single album, and their cumulative album sales from January to November reached a staggering 17 million copies. Meanwhile, girl group NewJeans has set an unprecedented record by holding the number one spot on Melon, Korea's most widely used music platform, for 99 days with just one song.
Seventeen released two domestic albums this year. In April, they released their 10th mini-album 'FML,' and in October, they followed up with their 11th mini-album 'SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN.' Both albums set remarkable records in K-pop history, solidifying Seventeen's position as a top group.
The mini-album 'FML' recorded initial sales of approximately 4.55 million copies, becoming the highest-selling first-week album in K-pop history at the time. The album continued to show robust sales, surpassing 5 million and then 6 million, ending the year with around 6.3 million copies sold. Seventeen is the only K-pop artist to have sold over 6 million copies of a single album.
With 'SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN,' Seventeen set another record, selling approximately 5.09 million copies in its first week and breaking the record for first-week sales in K-pop. As of November, the album had sold approximately 5.5 million copies. While it didn't surpass the cumulative sales of its predecessor, it's a testament to the group's enormous fan base.
Combined, the two albums accounted for about 11.4 million copies sold, and that's not all. The growing fandom also boosted sales of previous albums, with last year's 'Face the Sun' selling an additional 1 million copies this year. Including sales from unit albums and re-released old albums, the total nears 17 million copies.
Stray Kids also surpassed 5 million album sales with a single album this year. They released their third full album '5-STAR' in June and their eighth mini-album 'Rock-STAR' in November, selling approximately 5 million and 4 million copies, respectively. Including additional sales of previous albums, their cumulative sales this year easily exceed 10 million copies.
K-pop's globalization, accelerated since BTS, saw a dramatic increase in album sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. The benchmark for a popular idol group became selling 1 million albums. And 2023 was the pinnacle of this trend, with both Seventeen and Stray Kids' achievements being prime examples.
In the digital music chart, NewJeans' 'Ditto,' released on December 19 last year, skyrocketed to number one on the Melon daily chart and maintained the position for 99 days until April. This set a new record for the longest reign on the Melon daily chart, surpassing BTS' 'Dynamite,' which held the previous record with 75 days at number one. 'Ditto' also broke 'Dynamite's record of 10 weeks at number one on the Melon weekly chart, extending it to 14 weeks.
Other long-reigning songs this year included AKMU's 'Love Lee,' (G)I-DLE's 'Queenka,' IVE's 'I AM,' 'Kitsch,' 'Baddie,' and LE SSERAFIM's 'Perfect Night,' each demonstrating the enduring power of K-pop hits.
This year, four songs surpassed the longest-reigning record set by 'DrunKen Confession' last year, with the incredible record of 99 days at number one being set. It's expected to be remembered as an extraordinary year for K-pop.
