INFINITE tops Oricon chart of Japan

K-pop boy band INFINITE

By Park Si-soo

K-pop boy band INFINITE is top of Japan’s Oricon chart in the category of best-selling albums, its management agency said Thursday.

More than 40,000 copies of the band’s first album for Japan “Koini Ochiru Toki,” which means “When I fall in love”, were sold on the first day of its release, Woollim Entertainment said, reflecting the seven-member’s popularity in the neighboring country.

The album consists of 12 tracks including “Man in Love,” “Welcome to Our Dream,” “She’s Back,” “Wings,” “BTD” (Before the Dawn), “Be Mine” and Tic Toc.”

The act made its debut there in November 2011 with the single “BTD,” which sold nearly 30,000 copies in the first three days. It has since performed at various arenas in Yokohama, Nagoya, Kobe and Fukuoka.

It came only a week after two other K-pop musicians took the first and second positions on the chart.

Actor and singer Jang Keun-suk released his second album “Nature Boy” in Japan, on May 29, and immediately topped Oricon’s Album Chart. This is the third time he has ranked top in Japan, following his debut single “Let Me Cry” in 2011 and first album “Just Crazy” in 2012.

On the same day, six-member boy band 2PM’s sixth single also ranked second on the Oricon Singles Chart.