▲ Stray Kids, Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentK-pop acts have achieved a historic milestone on the Billboard 200, with Stray Kids securing their fifth No. 1 and BTS’s Jimin landing at No. 2 on the chart dated August 3. This marks the first time K-pop albums have occupied both the top two positions on this prestigious chart.

Stray Kids’ ninth EP, "Ate," topped the Billboard 200 by earning 232,000 equivalent album units in the United States. This achievement represents the largest number of first-week sales for any K-pop album released this year. "Ate" continues the group's impressive streak, as their previous releases—"Oddinary" (March 2022), "Maxident" (October 2022), "5-Star" (June 2023), and "Rock-Star" (November 2023)—also debuted at No. 1. Stray Kids now share a record with US rapper DMX, being the only artists to achieve five consecutive No. 1 entries on the Billboard 200.

Meanwhile, Jimin's second solo album, "Muse," debuted at No. 2 with 96,000 equivalent album units. This follows the success of his first solo album, "Face," which also reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 last year. The lead track from "Face," "Who," is anticipated to debut at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Billboard 200 chart, compiled by Luminate, ranks the best-performing albums in the US based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums.

Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com