BTS's 'Arirang' re-enters Billboard 200 top 10

BTS performs their 2020 hit "Dynamite" at the halftime show of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in North and Central America on July 19 (local time). [AFP]

BTS's fifth studio album "Arirang" has re-entered the top 10 of the Billboard 200, the main US album chart.

Billboard said Sunday (local time) in a chart preview that "Arirang" climbed from No. 26 to No. 9. The jump came after a special vinyl edition featuring two bonus tracks — "Voice Message: Love Song" and "Normal" — went on sale, lifting the album's equivalent sales by 62 percent.

Billboard also credited BTS's performance of their 2020 hit "Dynamite" at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show on July 19 (local time) with boosting album sales.

BTS performs during the European leg of their "Arirang" album tour at Stade de France in northern Paris on July 17 (local time). [Yonhap]

BTS greets fans near the end of their "Arirang" album tour performance at Stade de France in northern Paris on July 17 (local time). [Yonhap]

"Arirang" is BTS's first album in three years and nine months, released after all members completed their mandatory military service. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in March and held the top spot for three consecutive weeks.

The same chart preview placed Michael Jackson's sixth studio album "Thriller," released in 1982, at No. 8. The biopic "Michael" has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide amid strong audience demand, and the surge in interest has sent the album back up the chart as well.

The No. 1 spot went to American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams with "Daughter from Hell." Abrams is the daughter of acclaimed film director J.J. Abrams, known for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Star Trek" (2009).

yckim6452@heraldcorp.com