South Korea’s K-pop album exports hit an all-time high in the first six months of 2026. New customs data shows just how strong the industry’s comeback has been.
K-pop album exports reached $257.48 million between January and June, up 125 percent from the same period last year, according to the Korea Customs Service. The United States led all buyers. American imports totaled $74.12 million. China followed at $61.18 million. Japan came third at $45.61 million.
Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Britain, France and Poland rounded out the top ten importers.
The growth did not happen overnight. Music album exports in the first quarter alone reached $120 million, up 159 percent year on year. That marked the highest quarterly figure on record and the first time exports had ever crossed $100 million in a single quarter.
From slump to surge
The turnaround stands out even more against last year’s numbers. South Korea’s K-pop album exports crossed $301.7 million for all of 2025, a record at the time, but growth had slowed to just 3.4 percent from the year before. Japan was the top market that year, followed by China and the United States.
Before that, the industry had actually gone through a rough patch. Album exports fell 2 percent in first half of 2024. This is the first drop in nearly a decade. Fans and industry watchers largely blamed slide on BTS members entering mandatory military service which began in December 2023. With the group off the road and out of the studio, sales momentum stalled.
That slump makes this year’s rebound feel especially dramatic. The physical album market, long seen as a fading business in the streaming era, is clearly making a comeback.
BTS leads the charge
BTS returned in a big way this year. The group released its first new album in three years and nine months in March, and both the record and its lead single topped Billboard’s main charts. The band also marked its return with a comeback event at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 21.
The momentum kept building. BTS won Artist of the Year, the top honor at the American Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Their return has clearly reignited fan buying across multiple markets, not just at home.
BLACKPINK also played a major role. The group released its third mini album, “Deadline,” in February. That release had sold nearly 2 million copies by June, keeping the girl group firmly in the conversation alongside BTS.
A long climb for a small industry
Physical albums might seem like a relic in the streaming age, but the export numbers tell a different story. Annual K-pop album exports climbed steadily from just $40 million in 2017 to $136.2 million in 2020, then $220.08 million in 2021. The category has kept growing nearly every year since, aside from the 2024 dip tied to BTS enlistment.
Music is not the only cultural export doing well this year. Korean sesame oil exports also hit a record in the first four months of 2026, part of a broader wave of K-food demand overseas.
The government is not just watching from the sidelines. South Korea is holding a K-Expo in Paris this year to promote Korean cultural exports, including food, beauty products, fashion and tourism. The event ties into celebrations marking 140 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and France.
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