HANTEO CHART · 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

HANTEO REWIND

2025, K-POP INVASION

In 2025, K-pop conquered every continent. Beyond Asia — across Europe, the Americas, and now even virtual idols are breaking dimensional barriers. Beginning with BTS, the trailblazers who coined the term “K-pop invasion,” we look back at how 16 iconic acts claimed the world stage last year.

C H A P T E R S
CHAPTER 01
K-pop Dynamite
That Broke the World
Pioneer
BTS
CHAPTER 02
From Infiltration to
Dominance: the DNA
Heirs
TOMORROW X TOGETHER · ENHYPEN
BOYNEXTDOOR · CORTIS
CHAPTER 03
K-pop Women Power
Conquering Asia
Warriors
TWICE · aespa · IVE · (G)I-DLE
CHAPTER 04
K-pop Swallows
Pop's Homeland
Generals
Stray Kids · SEVENTEEN · ATEEZ
Jin (BTS) · LE SSERAFIM
CHAPTER 05 NOW
K-pop Beyond
Dimensions
New Forces
PLAVE · KPop Demon Hunters · Middle East
Chapter 5: K-pop Beyond Dimensions

Chapter 5: K-pop Beyond Dimensions

PLAVE · KPop Demon Hunters · Middle East
A virtual idol that changed K-pop’s landscape
The OST of a K-pop animation that captivated the world
Beyond Asia, the Americas, and Europe — now toward the Middle East In Chapter 5 of Hanteo Rewind 2025, “K-pop Invasion,”
we examine how K-pop’s influence,
crossing dimensions and continents alike,
is unfolding into new forms of expansion through Hanteo data.
Beyond “virtual,”
crowned as an all-rounder

PLAVE

(PLAVE)
Across the world,
painted in gold

KPop Demon Hunters

<KPop Demon Hunters>
K-pop’s next destination,
toward a new region

Middle East

(Middle East)

PLAVE(PLAVE)

Their label is not “virtual,” but “all-rounder.”

In November 2025, PLAVE entered Seoul’s Gocheok Dome, often called a dream stage for idols. PLAVE became the first virtual artist to hold a solo concert there, drawing more than 30,000 attendees over two days.

Gocheok Dome debut
126,018

PLAVE’s 2025 world tour began at KSPO DOME in Korea, then continued through Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan before closing triumphantly at Gocheok Dome. The tour drew about 126,000 attendees in total.
Source: Hanteo K-pop Culture Research Institute

Growing venue scale

4,904 seats
Olympic Hall (2024)
about 6.8×
33,488 seats
Gocheok Dome (2025)
MOBILE SUMMARYVenue scale comparison
Olympic Hall 20244,904 seats
Gocheok Dome 202533,488 seats
Growth factorabout 6.8×
SignificanceA dome stage in just two years

PLAVE’s solo concert scale expanded about 6.8 times in just 19 months. It also secured the symbolism of being the first virtual idol to headline Gocheok Dome.

Reaching Gocheok Dome in just two years

The scale of PLAVE’s solo concerts grew about 6.8 times in just 19 months. Their first fan concert, <Hello, Asterum!>, held in April 2024, had fewer than 5,000 seats, but 19 months later they proved their ticket power by headlining Gocheok Dome for two days.

Hanteo audio score

Songs released before 2024 third mini album
'Caligo Pt.1' second single
'PLBBUU'
*incl. remix versions Others
MOBILE SUMMARYKey summary of the yearly audio trend
Annual cumulative audio score2,969,985 pts

It ranked 6th among all artists in 2025.

Main driverCaligo Pt.1

After its February release, it maintained a high share throughout the year and drove the monthly audio score.

Additional momentum in NovemberPLBBUU

Even after the new single arrived, the earlier mini album kept a large share, showing the fandom’s staying power.

In 2025, PLAVE recorded an annual Hanteo audio score of 2,969,985 points, ranking 6th among all artists for the year.

What stands out is the share of songs composing each month’s audio score. Even after the release of the second single 'PLBBUU' in November, the third mini album 'Caligo Pt.1,' released in February, still held a large share of PLAVE’s monthly audio score.

This clear pattern appears to reflect fans’ strategic streaming behavior. When a new track is released, fans often build 60-minute playlists that are easier for chart tracking and loop them repeatedly. When the new release is a mini album or a single, earlier songs are often added to fill the full hour. That strategy appears directly in the monthly audio score and reveals the strength of PLAVE’s core fandom.

2025 album sales

2.35M
3,570 copies
Caligo Pt.1 47.1%
PLBBUU 48.6%
Others 4.3%

PLAVE sold a total of 2,353,570 albums in 2025. Both of their releases that year, 'Caligo Pt.1' and 'PLBBUU', surpassed one million copies in first-week sales, making them back-to-back first-week million sellers and showing the stability of PLAVE’s fandom.

Key Hanteo data
2025Hanteo album sales2,353,570 copies
2025Countries reached by album sales20 countries
2025Back-to-back first-week million sellersCaligo Pt.1 · PLBBUU
2025Hanteo audio score2,969,985 pts
2025
Cumulative world tour audienceSource: Hanteo K-pop Culture Research Institute
126,018
2025Tour scale6 cities · 12 shows
2025Solo concert at Gocheok DomeFirst by a virtual idol
2025Gocheok Dome attendanceapprox. 33,000

KPop Demon Hunters<KPop Demon Hunters>

A K-pop OST that painted the world in gold

The OST 'Golden' from the animated film <KPop Demon Hunters> topped charts worldwide and swept major awards, creating a global phenomenon. In the second half of 2025, K-pop’s expansion was visible not only through artists on stage, but also through animation soundtracks.

2025 Hanteo audio score
7,836,406 pts

The seven OST tracks from the animated film <KPop Demon Hunters> were released in June 2025 and collected about 7.84 million points in only six months of tracking.
In particular, 'Golden' posted the highest audio score among the seven OST tracks and accounted for 23% of the cumulative total, becoming the centerpiece of <KPop Demon Hunters>' audio performance.

Hanteo audio score

29.3K pts
Jun
1.419M pts
Jul
1.809M pts
Aug
1.553M pts
Sep
1.396M pts
Oct
948K pts
Nov
679K pts
Dec
MOBILE SUMMARYMonthly audio score
Jun29.3K pts
Jul1.419M pts
Aug1.809M pts
Sep1.553M pts
Oct1.396M pts
Nov948K pts
Dec679K pts

It surged right after its June release, peaked in August, and then maintained strong scores to continue its global run throughout the second half of the year.

The Hanteo audio score of the seven OST tracks from <KPop Demon Hunters> rose from 29,274 points in June right after release to a peak of 1,809,674 in August, for an annual total of 7,836,406. The roughly 61.8-fold increase shows how quickly the soundtrack captured the world.

Country chart rankings

MOBILE SUMMARYCountry chart trend
ChinaNo.1 for 6 straight weeksWeek 4 of Jul – Week 5 of AugIt was the fastest market to reach and hold the top spot right after release.
United StatesNo.1 for 10 straight weeksWeek 2 of Sep – Week 3 of NovIt held No.1 the longest, leading the soundtrack’s sustained success.
JapanStrong early, then gradual declineAfter Week 1 of SepIt showed early strength alongside China, then gradually eased down the ranking.

The OST of <KPop Demon Hunters> ranked No.1 on Hanteo’s China country chart for six straight weeks, from the 4th week of July through the 5th week of August. From the 1st week of September, rankings in Japan and China began to soften, but in the U.S. it remained dominant, recording a remarkable 10 consecutive weeks at No.1 from the 2nd week of September to the 3rd week of November.

<KPop Demon Hunters> swept awards worldwide

  • Nov. 2025 — Korean Association of Film Critics Awards: 'FIPRESCI Korea Section Award – International Film'
  • Dec. 2025 — Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: 'Best Animated Film'
  • Jan. 2026 — Critics Choice Awards: 'Best Animated Feature', 'Best Song – Golden'
  • Jan. 2026 — Golden Globe Awards: 'Animated Feature', 'Best Original Song – Golden'
  • Mar. 2026 — Academy Awards: 'Animated Feature', 'Best Original Song – Golden'
  • Mar. 2026 — iHeartRadio Music Awards: 'K-pop Song of the Year – Golden', 'Duo/Group of the Year', 'Favorite Soundtrack – Golden'
Key Hanteo data
2025Hanteo audio index7,836,406 pts
2025'Golden' audio index1,827,935 pts
2025U.S. country chart appearances26
2025Japan country chart appearances26
2025China country chart appearances27

Middle East(Middle East)

K-pop’s next destination, in search of a new market

In recent years, the number of K-pop-related concerts in the Middle East has surged, signaling a notable shift.
Beyond Asia, the Americas, and Europe, K-pop is now testing its next growth potential in a new region.

The Middle East, captivated by and captivating K-pop

  • Before the global pandemic (~2019)
  • Jul. 2019 — Super Junior held the solo concert 'SUPER JUNIOR WORLD TOUR “SUPER SHOW 7S” in JEDDAH' in Saudi Arabia
  • Nov. 2019 — BTS held the solo concert 'LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF' in Saudi Arabia
  • After the global pandemic (2022–2024)
  • Sep. 2022 — 'KCON 2022 SAUDI ARABIA' held, featuring 12 teams including ATEEZ, THE BOYZ, NewJeans, Pentagon, and P1Harmony
  • Oct. 2023 — 'KCON SAUDI ARABIA 2023' held, featuring 10 teams including HIGHLIGHT, RIIZE, 8TURN, OH MY GIRL, and EVNNE
  • Nov. 2023 — '2023 Hyperound K-Fest' held, featuring 7 teams including ENHYPEN, Sunmi, and Epik High
  • Present (2025)
  • Feb. 2025 — 'KOREA360,' an overseas promotion hall for Korean-wave industries, opened in Dubai with performances by Gummy and K.Will
  • Nov. 2025 — '2025 K-EXPO UAE : All about K-style' held in Dubai, featuring Billlie and Chen
  • Nov. 2025 — 'DREAM CONCERT 2025' held in Abu Dhabi, featuring headliners SEVENTEEN S.COUPS x MINGYU, plus ATEEZ, MIYEON of i-dle, Red Velvet’s Seulgi & Joy, and 9 acts in total

After Super Junior became the first Asian artist to hold a solo concert in Saudi Arabia in July 2019, BTS followed with their own solo concert that November. Momentum paused briefly from 2020 due to the global pandemic, but since 2022 various K-pop events and concerts have resumed, with many artists appearing and raising K-pop’s profile in the Middle East. It suggests a pattern in which major artists act as pioneers, opening paths for more artists to enter the region.

In 2025, K-pop expanded beyond dimensions

PLAVE transcended the limits of a virtual artist and built all-round indicators across concerts, albums, and audio performance.
<KPop Demon Hunters> shook charts around the world with an animated-film OST.
The Middle East is emerging as K-pop’s next destination, showing the potential for expansion into a new region.

The data in this chapter shows that in 2025, K-pop no longer remained within a single stage or a single region,
but expanded the boundaries of both format and market at the same time.

PLAVE(PLAVE)Beyond virtual, toward all-round dominance
KPop Demon Hunters<KPop Demon Hunters>A global K-pop phenomenon built by an OST
Middle East(Middle East)K-pop’s next region of expansion