(LEAD) (News Focus) With 'Arirang,' BTS proves endurance beyond long break

▲ K-pop supergroup BTS is seen in this photo provided by BigHit Music. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ K-pop boy group BTS delivers a speech at the U.N. Headquarters in 2018, in this EPA photo. (Yonhap)

▲ K-pop boy band BTS poses for a photo in Seoul on May 24, 2021, as the members take part virtually in the ceremony of the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, in this file photo captured from the group's official Twitter account. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo captured from BTS member J-Hope's Instagram page shows the group. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) (News Focus) BTS-Billboard chart

(LEAD) (News Focus) With 'Arirang,' BTS proves endurance beyond long break

(ATTN: UPDATES with 12 more songs from album entering Hot 100 in 5th para; RECASTS 6th para)

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- K-pop giant BTS reaffirmed its unmatched global influence, returning to the top of the Billboard charts this week with "Arirang," its first group release in nearly four years. The success came despite its years away from group activity and sweeping changes to how success is measured in the charts.

The septet has secured its seventh No. 1 debut on both the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Hot 100 singles chart, after debuting at No. 1 on the British Official Albums Chart Top 100 and No. 2 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100.

Among Korean acts, only BTS and its members Jimin and Jungkook have topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although "Golden" from the soundtrack of the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" should be included when considering K-pop overall.

The dual triumph marks BTS' first simultaneous No. 1s on both charts in six years since "Be" in 2020.

Of the new album's 14 tracks, 13, including "Swim," entered the Hot 100 chart this week, leaving out only "No. 29," which features only the sound of the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok and contains no lyrics.

BTS debuted in 2013 as an "underdog" idol group from a small label, and every victory it has achieved since then has consistently made K-pop history.

Since it became K-pop's first act to top the Billboard 200 with "Love Yourself: Tear" in 2018, it has claimed seven No. 1 albums -- "Love Yourself: Answer" (2018), "Map of the Soul: Persona" (2019), "Map of the Soul: 7" (2020), "Be" (2020), and "Proof" (2022) and "Arirang" (2026).

On the singles chart, the group claimed K-pop's first No. 1 with "Dynamite" in 2020, followed by "Savage Love" (2020), "Life Goes On" (2020), "Butter" (2021), "Permission to Dance" (2021), "My Universe" (2021) and now "Swim," the lead track from "Arirang." Among them, "Life Goes On" remains the only predominantly Korean-language song to ever top the Hot 100, and "Butter" held that position for 10 weeks.

BTS also claimed three No. 1 albums, including "Arirang," on the British Official Albums Chart Top 100.

Boosted by the global appeal of its music, the group has won at the Billboard Music Awards for six consecutive years and the American Music Awards for five, capturing the top Artist of the Year honor in 2021 -- a first for any K-pop act. BTS also earned Grammy nominations for three consecutive years, although it has yet to take home an award.

What makes this comeback particularly significant is the environment in which it happened. Billboard has adjusted its chart methodology several times in recent years in ways that industry watchers say disadvantage fan-driven acts, particularly K-pop.

In 2022, the company cut the number of eligible weekly downloads per person from four to one in 2022. The following year, it removed digital single sales from direct-to-consumer websites, often used by fan communities, from its chart calculations.

This year, Billboard stopped including YouTube data in its Hot 100 and Billboard 200 rankings for the first time in 13 years amid a dispute between the two companies, a change seen as disadvantageous for K-pop acts whose music videos routinely rack up hundreds of millions of views.

Yet BTS defied the odds, topping the charts despite a long break for military service and the shifting landscape that had seemed to work against the group.

Beyond the group's enduring appeal is its devoted global fandom, known as ARMY.

Their collective power translated into streams, purchases and social engagement strong enough to outpace Western pop stars with dominant radio presence, long considered K-pop's weak spot.

The exact size of BTS' global fandom is hard to measure, but few dispute that it is among the largest not only in K-pop but in the world.

The group's Weverse fan community now counts about 34.1 million members, while its official Instagram account has nearly 80 million followers -- far exceeding South Korea's entire population.

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