BTS first Koreans to enter UK album chart

K-pop boy band Bangtan Boys (BTS) / Yonhap

By Hong Dam-young

K-pop boy band Bangtan Boys (BTS) have become the first Korean musicians to make it to the U.K. Official Charts.

BTS’s second album “WINGS” entered the Official Albums Chart Top 100 at 62nd and 16th on the Indie Albums chart, according to the Official Charts Company on Monday.

Korean rapper Psy’s global hit “Gangnam Style” had topped the Official Singles Chart in 2012, but this is the first time Korean musicians have made the album charts.

Official Charts has a reputation equivalent to that of the U.S. Billboard Chart in the music industry.

The seven-member band’s album released on Oct. 10 has been sweeping charts in Asia, including Korea.

The album also topped the iTunes albums chart in the U.S. as well as iTune charts in 97 countries.

The video for the lead track, “Blood, Sweat & Tears,” topped 20 million views on YouTube as of Saturday afternoon.

The record was set 136 hours after the album’s release, the fastest time to reach the figure among K-pop boy bands.