List of best-selling singles in South Korea

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This is a list of best-selling singles in South Korea since the Korea Music Content Industry Association (KMCA) began tracking sales figures for digital downloads in 2010. All singles listed here have sold at least three million copies.

Indie pop band Busker Busker's 2012 single "Cherry Blossom Ending" is the best-selling song in South Korea since 2010, with eight million copies sold as of 2021.[1] Pop soloist IU has six songs on the list, the most of any artist.

Background[edit]

In 2010, the Korea Music Content Industry Association (KMCA) established the Gaon Chart, a weekly record chart that tabulates both physical and digital music sales.[2] Gaon first published digital download figures for songs in February 2011, when it released a list of the best-selling songs of 2010.[3] On March 11, 2011, Gaon began publishing the weekly Gaon Download Chart, which included sales figures for songs.[4] Gaon stopped releasing weekly sales figures for songs in 2018 and introduced a certification system that recognizes songs that reach at least 2.5 million downloads.[5] The chart (renamed the Circle Chart in 2022[6]) also periodically reports sales figures for songs released before the introduction of the certification system.

List of best-selling singles[edit]

Song Artist(s) Released Total sales
(million) 		Ref.
"Cherry Blossom Ending" Busker Busker 2012 8.0 [1]
"You & I" IU 2011 7.0 [7]
"Through the Night" IU 2017 7.0 [1]
"Moves like Jagger" Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera 2011 5.58 [8]
"Friday" IU ft. Jang Yi-jeong of History 2013 5.0 [9]
"Wild Flower" Park Hyo Shin 2014 5.0 [10]
"I'm Not the Only One" Sam Smith 2016 5.0 [7]
"I Will Go to You Like the First Snow" Ailee 2017 5.0 [9]
"Gift" MeloMance 2017 5.0 [9]
"Spring Day" BTS 2017 5.0 [1]
"Shape of You" Ed Sheeran 2017 5.0 [11]
"You, Clouds, Rain" Heize ft. Shin Yong-jae of 4Men 2017 5.0 [7]
"Every Day, Every Moment" Paul Kim 2018 5.0 [12]
"Good Day" IU 2010 4.8 [13]
"Trouble Maker" Trouble Maker 2011 4.46 [14]
"I Miss You" Noel 2011 4.45 [15]
"Roly-Poly" T-ara 2011 4.41 [16]
"Nagging" IU and Lim Seulong 2010 4.24 [17]
"I Can't" 4Men ft. Mii 2010 4.21 [18]
"Memory of the Wind" Naul 2012 4.21 [19]
"Party Rock Anthem" LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock 2011 4.2 [20]
"Gangnam Style" Psy 2012 4.04 [21]
"Fantastic Baby" Big Bang 2012 4.04 [22]
"Don't Say Goodbye" Davichi 2011 4.02 [23]
"So Cool" Sistar 2011 4.01 [24]
"The Western Sky" Ulala Session 2011 3.93 [25]
"Be My Baby" Wonder Girls 2011 3.92 [26]
"I Am the Best" 2NE1 2011 3.8 [27]
"Hello" Huh Gak 2011 3.8 [28]
"Cry Cry" T-ara 2011 3.78 [29]
"Lovey-Dovey" T-ara 2012 3.76 [30]
"Yeosu Night Sea" Busker Busker 2012 3.76 [31]
"All for You" Seo In-guk and Jung Eun-ji 2012 3.67 [32]
"Having an Affair" Park Myung-soo and G-Dragon ft. Park Bom 2011 3.66 [33]
"I Turned Off the TV..." Leessang ft. Yoon Mi-rae and Kwon Jung-yeol 2011 3.63 [34]
"The Boys" Girls' Generation 2011 3.62 [35]
"Rolling in the Deep" Adele 2011 3.61 [36]
"Good Bye Baby" Miss A 2011 3.6 [37]
"Blue" Big Bang 2012 3.56 [A]
"Loving U" Sistar 2012 3.44 [40]
"Alone" Sistar 2012 3.42 [41]
"Can't Let You Go Even If I Die" 2AM 2010 3.36 [42]
"On Rainy Days" Beast 2011 3.36 [43]
"Dream Girl" Busker Busker 2011 3.35 [44]
"Bad Girl Good Girl" Miss A 2010 3.33 [45]
"Oh!" Girls' Generation 2010 3.33 [46]
"Ugly" 2NE1 2011 3.33 [47]
"Heaven" Ailee 2012 3.28 [48]
"Fiction" Beast 2011 3.26 [49]
"Every End of the Day" IU 2012 3.25 [50]
"Payphone" Maroon 5 ft. Wiz Khalifa 2012 3.15 [51]
"If You Really Love Me" Busker Busker 2012 3.13 [52]
"Apgujeong Nallari" Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Juck 2011 3.08 [53]
"Hot Summer" f(x) 2011 3.05 [54]
"I Go Crazy Because of You" T-ara 2010 3.04 [55]
"Lonely" 2NE1 2011 3.04 [56]
"Back in Time" Lyn 2012 3.04 [57]
"Starlight Moonlight" Secret 2011 3.02 [58]

Best-selling singles by year[edit]

Below is a list of the best-selling singles by year, since 2010, based on the Circle Download Chart. As of 2018, the chart does not publish yearly sales figures, but it continues to rank songs based on downloads.

Year Song Artist Yearly sales
(million) 		Ref.
2010 "Can't Let You Go Even If I Die" 2AM 3.35 [59]
2011 "Roly-Poly" T-ara 4.08 [60]
2012 "Gangnam Style" Psy 3.84 [61]
2013 "Shower of Tears" Baechigi ft. Ailee 1.88 [62]
2014 "Some" Soyou and Junggigo ft. Lil Boi 2.21 [63]
2015 "Bang Bang Bang" BigBang 1.58 [64]
2016 "Rough" GFriend 1.9 [65]
2017 "I Will Go to You Like the First Snow" Ailee 2.49 [66]
2018 "Love Scenario" iKon — [67]
2019 "2002" Anne-Marie [68]
2020 "Any Song" Zico [69]
2021 "My Starry Love" Lim Young-woong [70]
2022 "If We Ever Meet Again" [71]
2023 "Grain of Sand" [72]

Artists with highest count of best-selling singles[edit]

# Artist Count Songs
1st IU 6 songs "You & I"
"Through the Night"
"Good Day"
"Nagging"
"Every End of the Day"
"Friday"
2nd Busker Busker 4 songs "Cherry Blossom Ending"
"Yeosu Night Sea"
"Dream Girl"
"If You Really Love Me"
T-ara "Roly-Poly"
"Lovey-Dovey"
"Cry Cry"
"I Go Crazy Because of You"
3rd Sistar 3 songs "So Cool"
"Loving U"
"Alone"
2NE1 "I Am the Best"
"Ugly"
"Lonely"
4th Beast 2 songs "On Rainy Days"
"Fiction"
Big Bang "Fantastic Baby"
"Blue"
Maroon 5 "Moves like Jagger"
"Payphone"
Miss A "Good Bye Baby"
"Bad Girl Good Girl"
Girls' Generation "The Boys"
"Oh!"
Ailee "Heaven"
"I Will Go To You Like the First Snow"

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ These figures include downloads from the Special Edition version of "Blue". Both versions are identical.[38][39]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d 가온차트 관찰노트 2편 [다운로드차트 누적 이용량] [Gaon Chart Observation Notes #2 (Download Count)]. Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Han, Sang-hee (February 8, 2011). "Korea Launches First Official Music Charts Gaon". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  3. ^ "2AM '죽어도 못보내' 지난해 335만 다운로드 기록해 1위" [2AM's 'Can't Let You Go Even If I Die' topped list with 3.35 million downloads last year]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). February 9, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "다운로드건수 공개로 본 음원시장 '현주소'는?" [What is the "current state" of the music market according to download data?]. Star News (in Korean). March 11, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "[한국음악콘텐츠협회] (사)한국음악콘텐츠협회, 음원∙앨범에 대한 '가온 인증제' 시행" [[Korea Music Content Association] Korea Music Contents Association, 'Gaon Accreditation System' for songs and albums] (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. April 23, 2018. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  6. ^ Lee, Tae-soo (July 7, 2022). 가온차트, 써클차트로 개편…국내·해외 판매량 구분해 공개 [Gaon chart reorganized into Circle Chart...Domestic and overseas sales disclosed separately] (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c 써클차트 관찰노트 2편 [누적 다운로드] [Circle Chart Observation Notes Part 2 (Cumulative Download)]. Circle Music Chart. Retrieved September 21, 2022 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Cumulative sales for "Moves like Jagger":
  9. ^ a b c "Gaon's 관찰노트" [Gaon's Observation Notes]. Gaon Music Chart. October 22, 2020. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  10. ^ C., Daniel (November 26, 2019). "Gaon's 관찰노트" [Gaon's Observation Notes]. Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "Gaon's 관찰노트" [Gaon's Observation Notes]. Gaon Music Chart. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  12. ^ "가온 인증: 누적판매량 인증" [Gaon Certification: Download]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  13. ^ Cumulative sales for "Good Day":
  14. ^ Cumulative sales for "Trouble Maker":
  15. ^ Cumulative sales for "I Miss You":
  16. ^ Cumulative sales for "Roly-Poly":
  17. ^ Cumulative sales for "Nagging":
  18. ^ Cumulative sales for "I Can't":
  19. ^ Cumulative sales for "Memory of the Wind":
  20. ^ Cumulative sales for "Party Rock Anthem":
  21. ^ Sales references for "Gangnam Style":
  22. ^ Cumulative sales for "Fantastic Baby":
  23. ^ Cumulative sales for "Don't Say Goodbye":
  24. ^ Cumulative sales for "So Cool":
  25. ^ Cumulative sales for "The Western Sky":
  26. ^ Cumulative sales for "Be My Baby":
  27. ^ Cumulative sales for "I Am the Best":
  28. ^ Cumulative sales for "Hello":
  29. ^ Cumulative sales for "Cry Cry":
  30. ^ Cumulative sales for "Lovey-Dovey":
  31. ^ Cumulative sales for "Yeosu Night Sea":
  32. ^ Cumulative sales for "All for You":
  33. ^ Cumulative sales for "Having an Affair":
  34. ^ Cumulative sales for "I Turned Off the TV...":