[BTS] The Reality of the K-POP World Known from Data of 1182 Groups [The 0.59% Miracle]

[Update: 2026/8/7] Added notes on "single" and "cumulative" to the sales achievement images

Numbers, or rather an article, have arrived from JoongAng Ilbo

An interesting article was published by JoongAng Ilbo, so I read it thoroughly!!
Professor Kim Jung-sup of Sungshin Women's University (Chairman of the Global K-Culture Economic Forum) seems to have carefully researched K-POP. As expected from the home country, I believed that the experts would do something like this (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ Good job

Original article

Thankfully it is in Japanese, so I can read it quickly!

Analysis of 1182 K-POP groups

It is an article that analyzed 1182 K-POP groups born in the past 30 years (since 1996), and first of all, the average lifespan was extremely short.

Half stop activities within 3 years of debut

The numbers look something like this.

• On average, 39.4 groups debut every year, with an even split between men and women

• The average activity period is only 4.12 years

  • 5.11 years for boy groups, 3.13 years for girl groups

Looking at this, you can see that there is a "wall of disbandment" around 4 years.
K-POP is a business based on upfront investment by agencies, but according to the article, if they don't show results after 3 years, the continuation of the contract is considered.

I thought that only a few major agencies have the stamina to last 7 years from the start.

The probability of breaking even is like winning the lottery

To survive after debut, you need to sell enough to break even, but there are very few examples that have achieved success beyond the break-even point.
It's a high-risk, high-return world...!!

Looking only at albums, I think, 'Isn't it impossible to sustain such an industry!?' but since there are digital platforms, commercials, and event appearances, it seems they work hard in those other areas. I see, multi-platform expansion, fighting!

There was surprisingly a difference between men and women.

I got into Bangtan without knowing anything about K-Pop, but I have heard rumors like this.

• Girl Groups

  • High online consumption popularity, so they are strong in music shows and brand contracts

  • Whether they can maintain public popularity is directly linked to their lifespan

• Boy Groups

  • Easier to form a loyal fandom, and fans have high purchasing power

  • However, this is provided they can overcome military service

Looking at these numbers, I realized that even though about the same number debut every year, girl groups clearly have shorter lifespans and it is tougher for them to survive compared to boy groups.
Since TWICE is among the 7 big-hit groups, I don't think it's impossible... but conversely, TWICE is amazing. They are the goddesses of JYP.

• HYBE

  • 2013: BTS

  • 2015: SEVENTEEN

  • 2019: TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT)

• SM

  • 2012: EXO

  • 2016: NCT

• JYP

  • 2015: TWICE 👈 The only girl group

  • 2018: Stray Kids

This article uses album sales as a comparison axis, but as you can see from the absence of BLACKPINK, the achievements of K-POP idols have diversified, making it difficult to judge from just one perspective.
I also want to keep watching BTS's achievements from various angles to get a real grasp of them, lol.

Impressions

Since I only looked at BTS, I was focused on things like the "crisis of disbandment before military service" or the "crisis of whether or not to renew contracts," but there were actually a huge number of groups that never even reached that stage.

But the fact that they made it to debut means there was a trainee period before that, and many staff members were involved in the debut, so the investment amount is not ordinary.
Following the Min Hee-jin and NewJeans incident, there was talk that investment in K-POP had cooled down, but since the impact hits these groups first, I thought it was natural for the government to step in.

Oh, and by the way, for those of you who aren't novices—no, for those of you with great potential—who thought, "Isn't K-POP a national policy industry, so it's been supported from the start?", please wait a moment.
Usually, in times like this, the authorities only jump on the bandwagon once something is already established!

Well, honestly, various K-POP group seniors worked hard, left their mark with things like PSY's "Gangnam Style," and then BTS from a poor agency exploded, and the country started saying, "Oh, is it profitable? Export industries are important, right?"—that happened after, so from an ARMY's perspective, the idea that "they succeeded because they were favored by the country, haha" is just a joke.

If they had been supported, Bang PD wouldn't have had to pay out of his own pocket and borrow money from the bank, Jin wouldn't have had to carry pots and seasonings from home, Suga wouldn't have had to walk for 2 hours in exchange for 200-yen noodles, and TXT wouldn't have had to drink cider diluted with water.

Once again, I feel admiration and excitement for BTS, who survived in this harsh industry, entered the 0.59%, and continue to break world records even now.

I want to refer to various numbers to understand BTS's hard work more concretely!
And I want to share that with ARMY and enjoy it by saying, "Hey, isn't 0.59% amazing?"

That is my fan activity. Ah, life is the best with a bias who has so much to look forward to (*´艸｀)
There might be some strange articles, but please read them again if you'd like. I'll be waiting!

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Another article by the same professor
“What is the worldview projected in BTS's songs? University professor analyzes all album tracks = South Korea”