Lim Young-woong's 'Im Hero' album sold more than 1.1 million copies in first week

Trot singer Lim Young-woong [MULGOGI MUSIC]

Trot singer Lim Young-woong’s new album “Im Hero” sold more than 1.1 million copies in the first week, according to local album sales tracker Hanteo Chart. This is the highest number ever recorded by a Korean solo artist.

“Im Hero” dropped as the singer’s first-ever full-length album on May 2. It sold over 940,600 copies in the first day alone, also breaking the record for first-day CD sales by a solo singer. The previous record was by Baekhyun of Exo with his 2021 EP “Bambi,” which sold approximately 760,100 copies on the first day.

"Im Hero" also already broke the record for first-week sales by a solo singer — set by "Bambi" at 868,000 copies — by a sizeable margin.

The numbers are especially noteworthy considering that trot is mostly popular among domestic audiences and does not see a large amount of sales abroad, unlike internationally popular K-pop idols. The main consumers of trot are middle-aged and older Koreans.

Lim has also not held any fan sign events or meet and greets, which are common marketing strategies to boost sales in the first week of release.

Lim has been a trot sensation since he won TV Chosun’s hit audition show “Mr. Trot” (2020), which revived the music genre in Korea. The singer has been on a nationwide tour since May 6.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]