BTS has achieved their biggest first-week sales total yet with their latest full-length album, ARIRANG. The group made their long-anticipated comeback on March 20, 2026, and the response was immediate. By the end of the first day, the album had already sold more than 3.9 million copies. That amount alone was enough to surpass BTS’s previous first-week record of 3,378,633 copies, which was achieved with Map of the Soul: 7 in 2020. The early performance of ARIRANG showed strong demand and popularity from the start, confirming that the group’s return had become one of the biggest music events of the year in their home country.
According to Hanteo Chart, ARIRANG sold a total of 4,169,464 copies during its first week, covering the week from March 20 to March 26, 2026. This gave the boy band a new personal best and added another major achievement to their career. The album’s sales performance was not the only strong result.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 highest first-week sales in South Korea’s history:
#1. SEVENTEEN “SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN” — 5,091,887 copies.
#2. Stray Kids “5-STAR” — 4,617,499 copies.
#3. SEVENTEEN “FML” — 4,550,214 copies.
#4. BTS (방탄소년단) “ARIRANG” ㅡ 4,169,464 copies.
#5. Stray Kids “ROCK-STAR” ㅡ 3,702,681 copies.
#6. NCT DREAM “ISTJ” — 3,652,897 copies.
#7. BTS “MAP OF THE SOUL : 7” — 3,378,633 copies.
#8. SEVENTEEN “SPILL THE FEELS” ㅡ 3,160,611 copies .
#9. Stray Kids “KARMA” ㅡ3,036,360 copies.
#10. SEVENTEEN “17 IS RIGHT HERE” ㅡ 2,967,937 copies.
As of March 27, 2026, ARIRANG had reached #1 on several major charts across the globe, including the UK Album Charts, the ARIA Top 50 Albums chart, and Japan’s Oricon album list. These results showed that the album was performing well across multiple countries and music markets simultaneously. The project also obtained strong results on streaming platforms. As of March 27, 2026, ARIRANG had reached No. 1 on Apple Music Top Albums in at least 115 regions. It also became the most-streamed project in a single day on Spotify, with all 14 songs entering the platform’s Top 50 chart. With this comeback, BTS has not only returned with strong demand but has also set a new standard for their own success.
