According to the latest update of the Gaon Album Chart (now called Circle Chart) for the first half of 2022 (January – June), HYBE leads all K-pop agencies in the physical album market with a total of 11,093,641 copies. Thanks to a solid artist lineup such as BTS, SEVENTEEN, and TXT, who are the most contributing to the label. LE SSERAFIM, who has debuted this year with two members of IZ*ONE, shows its strong presence despite a member bullying controversy. The physical sales for the second half of this year are expected to be lower because most of the artists of the labels will be holding concerts instead of releasing music.

In second place, there is SM Entertainment, with a total of 7,101,835 copies. The company is known for strong physical sales since its establishment. NCT Dream and Red Velvet are carrying the company’s physical sales in the first half of 2022. But the most impressive is that the group Super Junior and its members, who debuted more than 15 years ago, are still showing their strong presence in the industry. The physical sales for the second half of this year are expected to be higher with the comeback of aespa, Girls' Generation, Red Velvet, and other NCT units such as WayV and the new Japan unit. Also, NCT 127 successfully held a dome tour in Japan and is expected to release an album in the second half of this year. Besides that, the debut of a new boy group is highly anticipated considering it’s has been ten years since SM released a regular boy group (EXO).

For third, there is JYP Entertainment, with a total of 3,734,859 copies. JYPE shows stable sales every year, showing its clever management. Stray Kids are showing its promising prospect by being the only boy group that sold more than one million in the company. Also, NMIXX is revealing its promising prospect too, with more than 400,000 copies sold in their debut. But the renewal contract of TWICE really determines the trend for future sales of the company.

For fourth, there is Starship Entertainment, with a total of 1,687,817 copies. This company is showing surprise sales thanks to its newer group, IVE. This group sells more than 600,000 copies for its second single album and is expecting to sell more in the future. Like LE SSERAFIM, IVE also consist of two members of IZ*ONE, and the prospect of both groups are really exciting.

And last, there is YG Entertainment, with a total of 1,114,492 copies. TREASURE is the main contributing group for the first half of this year. The physical sales for the second half of this year are expected to be really high with BLACKPINK’s comeback in August.

Here are the K-Pop agencies with the highest album sales this year,