Seoul, July 17 (IANS) South Korea’s exports of K-pop albums hit a record high in the first half of the year, government data showed on Friday, driven in part by BTS’ fifth studio album, ‘Arirang.’

K-pop album exports reached $257.48 million in the January-June period, up 125 percent from a year earlier, according to import and export trade statistics from the Korea Customs Service, reports Yonhap news agency.

The United States was the largest importer of K-pop albums during the period, with imports totalling $74.12 million, followed by China and Japan at $61.18 million and $45.61 million, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 were Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Britain, France and Poland.

BTS, one of the world’s top boy bands, released its first new album in three years and nine months in March. Both the album and its lead single topped Billboard’s main charts.

Earlier in February, BLACKPINK released its third mini album, “Deadline,” which had sold nearly 2 million copies as of June.

Meanwhile, South Korea will hold a Korean culture expo in Paris this week to promote exports of Korean cultural content, food, beauty products, fashion and tourism, officials said.

The “K-Expo France 2026” runs from Tuesday to Friday in the French capital as part of South Korea-hosted events to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties with France.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with several other ministries, has held the K-Expo in various countries since 2022 to boost the overseas expansion of Korean firms by linking cultural content with related industries, such as agriculture, fisheries and cosmetics.

Major companies and institutions showcased various Korean consumer products, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive content technologies, at the Palais des Congres from Tuesday to Thursday, according to the ministry.

—IANS

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