Seoul, April 28 (IANS) South Korea’s exports of K-pop albums hit a record high of $120 million in the first quarter of this year, customs data showed on Tuesday.

Outbound shipments of K-pop albums surged 159 percent from a year earlier in the January–March period, marking the first time quarterly exports have exceeded $100 million, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS).

Quarterly exports have set consecutive records since the third quarter of 2025, the agency said, reports Yonhap news agency.

The KCS attributed the increase to the global expansion of K-pop fandoms, as well as growing demand for albums amid fatigue with digital streaming.

The United States was the largest market, accounting for 28 percent of total exports, overtaking Japan, which had held the top spot until last year.

The European Union came next with 16.5 percent, followed by China at 14.4 percent and Taiwan at 6.9 percent, the latest findings showed.

Of the 131 countries that imported K-pop albums in the first quarter, 94 recorded their highest-ever quarterly imports, indicating broad-based growth rather than concentration in a few markets, the KCS said.

Meanwhile, First Lady Kim Hea Kyung attended a K-pop contest in India this month, expressing hope for stronger people-to-people ties through cultural exchange, the presidential office said.

Kim joined the ‘K-Dream Stage: All India K-Pop Grand Championship’, an annual contest hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre, as a guest, while accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on his State Visit to India, Yonhap news agency reported.

She noted that the event highlighted the growing popularity of Korean culture in India and expressed hope that the contestants would serve as a bridge between the two nations.

“I firmly believe that all of you here will become leading figures in shaping a new global wave of popular culture, including in India and Korea,” she said in an address.

The event featured K-pop dance and singing competitions as well as performances by invited artists. Park Jin-young, founder of K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment and co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, joined the event.

—IANS

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