Two Korean Albums Appear Inside The Top 10 For The First Time In U.S. History

Much of the talk when it comes to the top 10 on the Billboard 200 this week is focused on the newly-crowned leader, Lil Uzi Vert’s surprise album Eternal Atake, or perhaps on Jhene Aiko’s Chilombo, which was originally expected to rule, but which settles for second place instead.

While those two titles were the most consumed of the week, two other successful albums help each other make history this time around thanks to the fact that they are both currently occupying space inside the top 10.

NCT 127 scores the third-highest-ranking debut inside the highest tier this time around (behind both Lil Uzi Vert and Jhene Aiko) with their new release Neo Zone, which enters the race at No. 5. They now rank as one of only a few Korean acts to land inside the top 10 on the Billboard 200, but they’re not the only name from South Korea currently present in the area.

Just a few spots down, BTS hold on inside the tier for the third consecutive frame with their most recent chart-topper Map of the Soul: 7, which dips from No. 3 to No. 8. 

As BTS has managed to earn another turn inside the loftiest arena on the Billboard 200 and NCT 127 has kicked off within the top five with their new effort, history is made as this is the first time two Korean-language albums have occupied space inside the top 10 at the same time.

This special moment almost took place earlier this month, as two Korean artists missed each other by just one week. Monsta X debuted their new set All About Luv at No. 5 the same frame Justin Bieber led the charge, and the following period, BTS claimed the throne with Map of the Soul: 7. It is worth mentioning that while Monsta X is from South Korea, their new album was performed in English, while both BTS’s Map of the Soul: 7 and NCT 127’s Neo Zone are primarily in Korean.

As more and more South Korean artists reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, this doubling up is bound to happen again, but for the moment, it’s a sure sign that K-pop is making big inroads in America.

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