BTS’ Jung Kook’s ‘Golden’ Becomes Best-Selling K-pop Solo Album of All Time

May 10, 2025

BTS member Jung Kook continues to make history with his solo debut album Golden, which has officially become the best-selling K-pop solo album of all time.

According to the World Music Awards, often referred to as “the Billboard of Europe,” Jung Kook has sold a staggering 9.2 million equivalent album units (EAS) with his solo album Golden. This achievement marks the highest sales ever recorded for a K-pop solo artist.

Golden previously shattered records by becoming the highest-selling debut album by a male artist globally in the last decade, with 8.4 million copies sold in 2023 alone. In the U.S., the world’s largest music market, it became the fastest Asian solo album to cross 1 million units sold and has seen all tracks individually sell over 100,000 units.

Domestically, according to Hanteo Chart, Golden surpassed 2 million copies just 5 hours after its release, becoming a double million seller and breaking records for K-pop solo artist’s first-week sales. Within two weeks, total sales reached over 2.5 million units.

The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, making it the first Asian solo album to spend 25 weeks on the chart. Across the Atlantic, on the UK Official Charts Top 100, it held its place for 8 weeks, the longest for any K-pop solo artist.

Globally, Golden topped the iTunes Albums Chart in 106 countries upon its release and became the first Asian solo album to accumulate 5.5 billion streams on Spotify (unfiltered). It also remained on Spotify’s Weekly Top Album Global Chart for an unprecedented 78 weeks, a record for any Asian solo artist.

Additional accolades include being selected by Apple Music as the only album by an Asian male artist in its Met Gala-Worthy Looks playlist. The album also made several prestigious year-end lists, including: