Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
BTS sends K-pop merchandise sales soaring
By Kwak Yeon-soo
People pass a display stand featuring BTS's new album, “Map of the Soul: Persona,” at Kyobo Hottracks in Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times file
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The K-pop merchandise market is enjoying strong sales, led by BTS, which is sweeping global music charts in the U.S., U.K. and Japan.
BTS has sold more than 2.13 million copies of its new album “Map of the Soul: Persona” since its release April 12, setting a record for the highest first-week sales by a K-pop band, its label Big Hit Entertainment said Friday.
According to eBay Korea, K-pop merchandise sales in March rose more than 50 percent compared to the same month the previous year. Sales in April increased 57 percent compared to last year.
“Thanks to BTS, foreign fans flock to online markets to purchase K-pop merchandise,” Moon Ji-young, head of Global Affairs at eBay Korea, said. “As K-pop fever continues, we expect foreign fans will continue to buy goods at our channel.”
Moon said K-pop merchandise sales peaked on April 11 and 12, just before the new album's release, and been have strong since, thanks to the band's Saturday Night Live performance.
Albums, T-shirts, accessories, light sticks, tumblers and postcards with photos of K-pop artists stir fans' desire to be closer to the artists they look up to, Moon said.
Nearly 40,000 BTS-related items are available on the website. Clothes and other items worn by BTS members are out of stock at online markets due to their massive popularity.
U.S. consumers accounted for 34 percent of the sales of K-pop merchandise, followed by fans in Europe and Central and South America.
“I bought a poster and pictures of all BTS members from their last album and ordered one of their cosmetics lines on eBay,” a BTS fan from the U.S. said.