SEOUL, Jan 16 — South Korea’s exports of K-pop albums exceeded US$301.7 million (RM1.22 billion) for the first time last year, customs data showed Friday, underscoring the genre’s continued strength overseas despite weakening domestic sales, Yonhap News Agency reported.

According to the Korea Customs Service, overseas shipments of K-pop albums reached a record high of US$301.7 million (RM1.22 billion) in 2025, up 3.4 per cent from a year earlier.

Japan remained the biggest market with US$80.6 million (RM327 million), followed by China with US$69.7 million (RM283 million) and the United States with US$64 million (RM260 million).

While exports to Japan fell 10.2 per cent from the previous year, shipments to China jumped 16.6 per cent, allowing Beijing to reclaim its position as the No. 2 market for the first time since 2022, ahead of the US.

Taiwan, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Canada, France and Poland were also among the top 10 importers of K-pop albums.

Despite the record export value, data from music sales tracker Circle Chart showed that overall K-pop album sales, including both domestic and overseas markets, fell for a second consecutive year to around 93.5 million copies in 2025, down from about 120 million in 2023.

Analysts attributed the decline to a sluggish home market, even as demand abroad continued to expand.

Titles such as the soundtrack of KPop Demon Hunters helped maintain global appeal, but environmental concerns over plastic CDs and reduced fan-targeted marketing dampened domestic sales.

With Korea’s home market small, the gap between artists successful in the United States or Japan and those who are not appears to be widening. — Bernama-Yonhap