Billboard Korea has just officially launched their own domestic set of charts, beginning with their Global K-Songs chart and their version of the Korea Hot 100.
The newly launched charts aim to track “how K-music is consumed in the global music market,” having been established and designed as part of Billboard’s K-Music initiative in the region. Designed in close collaboration between Billboard and Billboard Korea, the charts are meant to accurately capture and represent the dynamics of Korea’s diverse music ecosystem within a global framework.
Currently, both of Billboard Korea‘s charts feature song-based rankings, with Billboard Korea‘s Global K-songs chart aiming to reflect the popularity of K-Music across several regions worldwide (including Korea) based on listening and purchasing activity. On the other hand, the Korea Hot 100 highlights the most popular songs in the region regardless of language, to showcase what Korean listeners are consuming and responding to. The chart rankings are set to be based on data that includes streaming activity and digital music sales accumulated from various global and domestic music platforms, with such data coming from official and trusted data sources recognized as a benchmark for both fans and industry stakeholders.
As noted by Billboard‘s EVP of Charts & Data Partnerships, Silvio Pietroluongo, these established charts were developed to act as a “shared language” connecting artists, labels, global listeners, and the broader K-Music community. “We are excited to reintroduce a more comprehensive Billboard Korea Hot 100 to highlight the wide range of songs and artists that are resonating with music fans in South Korea. And while the reach of Korean music globally has been well established, the newly launched Billboard Korea Global K-Songs chart will formally showcase the highest performing songs across the world on a weekly basis,” he mentioned.
MAMAMOO’s Hwasa is the very first artist to sit atop the Billboard Korea Hot 100 at No. 1 with her latest single, “Good Goodbye”, which also stands at No. 3 on Billboard Korea‘s Global K-Songs chart. With the latter, Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters hold the top 2 spots with HUNTR/X‘s chart-breaking hit “Golden” and the Saja Boys’ “Soda Pop.”
Following the launch of Billboard Korea‘s charts, the publication and Billboard Global plan to build upon these two charts with future projects and collaborative content centered on Korean music — with various artist partnerships, live event formats, and more expected to be revealed in the near future.