By Kim Hyelin and Lee Hana

Pop sensation BTS has risen to the top of the Billboard 200 charts, becoming the first Korean band ever to achieve such a feat.

Billboard announced that BTS's latest album, "Love Yourself: Tear," released on May 18, ranked number one on their charts on May 27.

The Billboard 200 table evaluates albums based on sales performance and online streaming to determine a ranking for the U.S. market. This is the first time that a Korean artist has topped the charts.

Following the announcement, BTS tweeted, "We're so thankful to hear such great news first thing in the morning. We are excited and baffled. We want to say thanks to everyone who listens to our songs. We will continue to do our best."



Billboard made the announcement in its article titled "BTS' 'Love Yourself: Tear' Becomes First K-Pop Album to Hit No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart." It said that BTS's album, released on May 18, launched with 135,000 album unit sales in the U.S. in the week ending May 24.

"Notably, as the album is performed mostly in the Korean language, it's the first primarily foreign-language No. 1 album in over 12 years," it said.

It went on to say that, "It’s also only the second top 10 for the K-pop genre, following BTS’ own 'Love Yourself: Her,' which debuted and peaked at No. 7 on the Oct. 7, 2017, list."

Next week's Billboard 200 weekly charts will be announced on May 30.

kimhyelin211@korea.kr