CORTIS Joins BTS in Korea’s 4 Million Album Club

CORTIS has crossed one of K-pop’s biggest physical-sales milestones, putting the fast-rising boy group in rare company with BTS.

The group’s second EP, GREENGREEN, has surpassed 4.1 million copies in cumulative sales, according to the latest weekly data from South Korea’s Circle Chart.

That makes GREENGREEN only the second album released in Korea this year to pass the 4 million mark. The other is BTS’ fifth studio album, ARIRANG.

For CORTIS, however, the number tells a bigger story than album sales alone. Less than a year after their debut, the BigHit Music group is showing signs of building both a powerful domestic fanbase and sustained interest overseas.

From 2.3 Million in a Week to 4.1 Million

GREENGREEN, released in May, was already a major commercial success from the start.

The EP sold 2,313,291 copies during its first week, according to Hanteo Chart data. That was roughly five times the first-week sales of the group’s debut release.

The momentum did not disappear after the initial sales rush.

By July, GREENGREEN had passed 3 million cumulative copies on Circle Chart. Roughly two months later, another million copies had been added, pushing the total to approximately 4.1 million.

BigHit Music pointed to continued interest in songs including the title track “REDRED” and B-side “YOUNGCREATORCREW” as one factor behind the album’s sustained performance.

The group’s first EP, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, is also continuing to sell. Released in September 2025, the record has now reached approximately 2.3 million cumulative copies, including about 1 million sold this year.

Together, CORTIS’ first two EPs have moved more than 6 million copies — an unusually rapid sales build-up for a group still early in its career.

The Billboard Numbers Matter Too

Physical album sales have long been one of K-pop’s strongest commercial indicators, but CORTIS’ performance outside Korea makes the GREENGREEN milestone more significant.

The EP debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in May.

More importantly, it did not immediately disappear from the chart after its debut week.

As of mid-September, GREENGREEN has remained on the Billboard 200 for 18 consecutive weeks. It demonstrates a level of longevity that distinguishes the release from albums driven primarily by a large opening-week fan purchase.

Multimillion sales in Korea and a long U.S. chart run highlight CORTIS’ expanding global reach.

Why the BTS Comparison Needs Context

The fact that BTS’ ARIRANG and CORTIS’ GREENGREEN are the only albums released in Korea this year to exceed 4 million copies inevitably puts the two BigHit Music acts in the same headline.

But the comparison should be treated carefully.

BTS is an established global act with more than a decade of history, while CORTIS is still in the early stages of building its career. Reaching the same sales threshold does not mean the two groups have equivalent global scale or influence.

What it does show is the speed at which CORTIS has developed a large album-buying audience.

For a relatively young group, crossing 4 million copies with a second EP — while maintaining an 18-week Billboard 200 run — is a notable indicator of momentum.

The next question is whether that momentum can continue beyond GREENGREEN.

David Kim

David Kim is a senior author at Kpopbreaking.com, focusing on major K-pop events, industry trends, and global entertainment news.

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