BTS's 'Arirang' Becomes First K-Pop Album to Go Platinum in Italy
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BTS's fifth studio album Arirang has been certified platinum by the Italian music industry federation, a first for any K-pop release in the country, six months after earning gold.
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI) certified BTS's fifth studio album Arirang as platinum, making it the first K-pop album ever to reach that threshold in Italy, news widely reported on November 5, 2026. The platinum certification requires 50,000 cumulative equivalent units, combining physical sales, digital downloads and streaming figures. Arirang, released in March 2026, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and spent 32 consecutive weeks on the chart, sitting at number 57 on the edition dated November 7. The album's lead single Swim also charted on multiple Billboard metrics and re-entered the Adult Contemporary chart. The platinum milestone arrived approximately six months after Arirang earned gold certification in Italy in April 2026. BTS now has six certified albums in Italy: five at gold level — Love Yourself: Answer, Map of the Soul: Persona, Map of the Soul: 7, BE, and Proof — and Arirang at platinum. The achievement came as BTS were still in the midst of a world tour, having completed 14 sold-out South American shows across five cities drawing 853,000 attendees before moving on to Southeast Asian dates, underlining the group's sustained global commercial reach after their return from mandatory South Korean military service.
