EXO debut hits top spot on Billboard World Albums Chart

Korea’s showbiz powerhouse S.M. Entertainment’s latest product, 12-member boy band EXO, topped the Billboard World Albums Chart as of June 22, the agency said Friday.

The band’s full-length debut album, “XOXO(Kiss&Hug)” with the title track “Wolf,” was released worldwide on June 3 through iTunes and other music file distribution sites. It received 299,280 preorder sales and has become the best-selling album at Hottracks and others, while topping music charts on KBS, MBC and SBS over the weekend.

The band consists of young men from Korea and China and targets the pan-China market. It was divided into “EXO-K” and “EXO-M” last year to zero in on Korea and China, respectively, which is believed to have helped the debut album climb all the way to the top of Taiwan’s FIVE MUSIC chart and second place on Japan’s Tower Record weekly chart.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)