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ATEEZ became one of the only five K-pop groups to reach the Top 3 of Billboard’s Top 200 Albums charts. It marks the group’s highest point in their nearly four-year long career. The achievement brought the group to the forefront, especially in the eyes of South Korean netizens, as they made history despite all odds.
The Guerrilla group recently opened up about how they feel about the disparity between their international and domestic fandom. But the Billboard 200 achievement seems to have made them a talking point in online forums.
The praises are higher this time as ATEEZ is the only group not managed by the Big 4 of the K-pop industry - HYBE, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment.
The group carved their own underdog story as they achieved this massive international popularity by being from a small company. The group works under the entertainment label KQ Entertainment which was established in 2016.
South Korean netizens praise ATEEZ on achieving No. 3 on Billboard 200
The eight-member boy group ATEEZ made history when it ranked No. 3 at Billboard’s Top 200 Albums with The World Ep.1: Movement on August 8, 2022. The chart ranks the most popular albums in the US. The self-producing boy group is fifth alongside BTS, Super M, NCT 127, and Stray Kids to earn a spot in the Top 3 of the charts.
In a blog posted on August 8 on the Pann Nate website, the author drew comparisons on how successful the Guerrilla group had become. The netizen mentioned that the group recorded 5,000 copies with their debut album (Hanteo charts state 5,239 copies). In comparison, their latest album, The World Ep.1: Movement recorded a whopping 930,000 sales.
The comments on the post praised the group, talking about the wide-scale international tours the Deja Vu group had recently. Some netizens also discussed the reasons behind the group doing incredibly well overseas. They believed that the “dark” songs appeal to international fans or “foreign market.”
One netizen even noted that K-pop groups specifically made for a global audience failed at capturing attention, but ATEEZ, because of their stage aura and performances, hit it big.
On the other hand, international fans were ecstatic about the group’s milestone achievement too. They congratulated the group on making history with heartwarming messages on Twitter.
Captain Hongjoong’s take on the disparity in international and domestic fans
In a press conference for their latest album, The World Ep.1: Movement, ATEEZ’s leader/captain Hongjoong discussed the gap in their popularity in overseas and local markets. He said,
“It's true that the members and I have seriously discussed the matter of public recognition in Korea. But we are a team that many fans overseas recognized and loved first.”
He added that they will not be heavily influenced by one side but will continue to work harder.
“The only solution there is so far is to not lean heavily to one side solely because of the disparity that currently exists, but to continue to work hard and make music that will satisfy many people."
Meanwhile, The World Ep.1: Movement’s title track Guerrilla continues to go strong as it currently sits at 20.6 million views on YouTube.
