BTS 'Arirang' Goes Platinum in Italy, a First for K-pop

by Hannah / Nov 05, 2026 10:10 AM EST

BTS Arirang Album Cover (bts-official.us)

BTS's fifth album "Arirang" was certified platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI) on Monday, the first time a K-pop album has reached that level in Italy, according to the group's label, Big Hit Music. The label announced the certification Tuesday.

Italy had been a gold market for the group. Big Hit counts five earlier BTS albums at gold there: "Love Yourself: Answer," "Map of the Soul: Persona," "Map of the Soul: 7," "Be" and "Proof." "Arirang" itself was already gold in Italy by late April, Korean outlets reported at the time, after it entered FIMI's weekly album chart at No. 2, according to Sky TG24.

The Italian award follows the same pattern in other markets. France's SNEP certified the album platinum on April 27 for 100,000 combined sales and streaming units, one month after release. In Japan, it reached triple platinum for more than 750,000 shipments as of March. Spain's gold certification was reported in April.

The album came out March 20 and, Big Hit said then, sold nearly 4 million copies on its first day. Seven and a half months later it is still on the Billboard 200. It is in its 32nd week on the chart and sits at No. 57 on the list dated Nov. 7, after debuting at No. 1. It also topped the Official UK Albums Chart and the iTunes Top Albums chart in 88 regions, according to The Korea Herald.

BTS finished the South American leg of the tour of the same name on Oct. 31 in São Paulo. The five-city run drew 853,000 people across 14 sold-out shows. The Italian certification landed the same week HYBE reported record third-quarter revenue of 1.53 trillion won, with BTS concerts the main driver.

For a group whose five earlier Italian albums stopped at gold, the step up is the notable part. Platinum is the next certification level above gold, and no K-pop album had reached it in Italy before this week.

The group has no shows scheduled between now and the next leg. That leg opens Nov. 19 with three nights at Kaohsiung National Stadium in Taiwan, followed by stops in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta. The Kaohsiung and Jakarta shows will be streamed live in cinemas in more than 80 regions.

The next Billboard 200 update, for the chart dated Nov. 14, will show whether "Arirang" holds its place before the tour resumes.