Melon launches cross-border 'Global-K Chart' with aespa taking the first No. 1 across all rankings

04 Jun 2026, 01:12 by spjw99 · allkpop

Melon has launched a new cross-border music chart, the 'Global-K Chart', with aespa claiming the inaugural No. 1 across every ranking.

The chart went live on June 1 at noon KST as a joint project between Melon in Korea, Tencent Music in China, and LINE MUSIC in Japan — three platforms spanning the largest K-pop consumer markets. Melon describes it as the only K-pop chart that combines verified streaming data with a "fan activity index" drawn from all three services.

aespa topped the daily, weekly, and May monthly rankings on the strength of their second full-length album 'Lemonade', released May 29, and its pre-release track "WDA (Whole Different Animal)" featuring G-Dragon. BTS followed at No. 2 across all three ranking types, backed by their fifth full-length album 'Arirang', which arrived in March.

By aggregating consumption across Korea, China, and Japan, the Global-K Chart aims to measure K-pop popularity across the three markets within a single ranking.

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