'7,' 4th full-length album from BTS, top selling in U.S.

BTS [BIG HIT ENTERTAINMENT]

BTS had the top-selling album in the United States and Korea in the first half of the year, according to Nielson Music and Gaon Chart on Friday.

According to the two music sales trackers, 552,000 copies of "Map of the Soul: 7," the band's fourth full-length album, were sold in the United States and another 4.27 million copies in Korea.

No other album has sold as successfully in the markets during the first half of the year.

U.S. sales included purchases of hardcopy CDs — which constituted a whopping 96 percent of total sales — as well as digital album downloads, said Nielson.

This feat elevated BTS to the top of both Nielson's Top 10 Album - Total Sales chart as well as the Top 10 Physical Album chart.

"Map of the Soul: 7" was the only half-million seller in the first half of 2020 in the United States. When combining all of the band's albums, BTS sold a total of 757,000 albums in the U.S. in the first half of the year.

In Korea, "7" received the first Quadruple Million certification from Gaon Chart, Korea's biggest music sales tracker, within just nine days of its release.

The album sold 2.65 million copies on the first day of its release, with sales shooting up to 4.11 million in nine days. As of the end of June, the total comes at 4,265,617 copies.

"Map of the Soul: 7" was released on Feb. 21 as the band's fourth full-length album commemorating the seven years the band's seven members have been together.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]