BTS’s fifth studio album, ‘ARIRANG,’ has earned platinum certification in Italy, becoming the first K-pop album to reach that milestone in the country. South Korean outlet Sports Kyunghyang reported the certification on November 4, citing information from Italy’s music industry association, FIMI, dated November 2 local time.
The certification was awarded after ‘ARIRANG’ accumulated 50,000 units in Italy, according to the report. That total combines physical album sales, digital downloads and streaming activity, the standard measure used for the Italian certification.
The platinum milestone comes about six months after ‘ARIRANG’ earned gold certification in Italy in April. The step up from gold to platinum in that period underlines how steadily the album has continued to sell and stream, rather than fading after its opening weeks.
BTS already had a substantial certification history in Italy before this breakthrough. Five earlier albums had earned gold there: ‘LOVE YOURSELF 結 ‘Answer,” ‘MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA,’ ‘MAP OF THE SOUL : 7,’ ‘BE’ and ‘Proof.’ ‘ARIRANG’ is the first to move beyond that level to platinum.
The album’s chart run supports that picture of longevity. In the Billboard chart dated November 7, ‘ARIRANG’ ranked No. 57 on the Billboard 200, its 32nd consecutive week on the chart after debuting at No. 1 in March. It also ranked No. 25 on Top Album Sales, which tracks physical sales.
Lead single ‘SWIM’ has also remained visible on Billboard’s global charts. It ranked No. 33 on the Global 200 and No. 13 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, while re-entering the Adult Contemporary chart, which reflects radio airplay, at No. 29.
The report does not quote a separate statement from the group about the certification. It attributes the certification news to FIMI and points to the group’s ongoing tour as the immediate context for its current momentum.
BTS — RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — debuted in 2013, building their career on hip-hop and pop. ‘ARIRANG’ is their fifth studio album, and the Italian milestone shows its reach extending into a market where the group had previously stopped at gold.
The tour continues that story. The agency said the South American leg drew 853,000 people across 14 sold-out shows in five cities. The Southeast Asian leg begins in Kaohsiung in November.
