BTS' 'Map of the Soul: Persona' becomes most-sold album in Gaon chart history

SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- BTS sold more than 3.71 million copies of its latest "Map of the Soul: Persona" album last year, breaking the all-time record for the most annual album sales on Gaon Charts, the band's management agency said Friday.

Sales of the "Persona" album, released in April last year, came to 3,718,230 copies, Big Hit Entertainment said, quoting data by Gaon Charts, the country's main music chart operated by the Korea Music Content Association.

The annual sales number marks the highest reading in the history of the Gaon charts launched in 2010. It smashed the previous record set by the band itself in 2018 when "Love Yourself: Answer" sold 2,197,808 copies.

The year 2019 was in fact the fourth year in row that BTS has topped the Gaon annual album sales chart after it first finished atop the same chart in 2016 with its second full-length album, "Wings." With sales of 731,301 copies of "Wings," the album became the most-sold Korean album ever in Gaon chart history at the time.

BTS broke its own record the following year by selling 1,493,443 copies of "Love Yourself: Her" and topping the Gaon annual album sales chart again.

Upon its release in April last year, "Persona" sold more than 3.22 million copies within the first 19 days of the release, registering the biggest monthly album sales in the history of Gaon Charts. The same album was BTS' third record to top the Billboard 200 album chart that month.

Now the band's next album, "Map of the Soul: 7," is on its way to hit the global music scene on Feb. 21.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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