Rose makes history as 'APT.' claims No. 2 on British Official chart

BLACKPINK's Rose has reached No. 2 on the British Official Singles Top 100 chart with "APT.," her collaboration single with American pop star Bruno Mars, setting a new record as the highest-charting female K-pop artist.

The single debuted at No. 4 and climbed two spots to come just behind U.S. singer-songwriter Gigi Perez's "Sailor Song," which currently holds the No. 1 position, according to the chart released Friday (British time).

With the achievement, Rose has broken her own record, previously set upon the song's debut, for the highest position reached by a female K-pop artist.

Psy's 2012 megahit single "Gangnam Style" remains the only K-pop song to have topped the chart.

"APT.," which dropped on Oct. 18, is a prerelease from Rose's highly anticipated first solo full-length album, titled "rosie," scheduled for release on Dec. 6.

The upbeat pop-punk track, inspired by a popular Korean drinking game, known as the "apartment game," is gaining international popularity with its catchy chorus that repeatedly features the word "apartment," pronounced as "apateu," a Korean abbreviation of the word.

The single has reached No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, while its music video, featuring both Rose and Mars, amassed over 200 million views within just 11 days, becoming the fastest video by a female K-pop soloist to reach the milestone.

The song has sparked a social media challenge among international K-pop fans to repeat the Korean pronunciation of "apartment."

Industry experts predict the single may climb even higher on the charts next week amid this global craze. If it does, Rose would become only the second K-pop artist in history, after Psy, to achieve this feat.

Other K-pop acts on the latest chart were Jin and Jimin, both members of boy group BTS, as well as Rose's bandmate Jennie.

Jin's new solo single "I'll Be There" debuted at No. 44 while "Who," the lead track from Jimin's second solo album, ranked 50th in its 15th week on the chart. Jennie's single "Matra" placed at No. 67.