The latest Circle Chart rankings for the week of May 17 to 23, 2026 are out. LE SSERAFIM and ZEROBASEONE topped the physical album chart with their new releases. CORTIS and BTS each earned double crowns on different parts of the chart.
LE SSERAFIM’s ‘PUREFLOW’ pt.1 Debuts at Number 1 on Album Chart
LE SSERAFIM took the top spot on this week’s physical album chart. Their new album “PUREFLOW” pt.1 entered at No. 1 right after release.
The album also performed well in Japan. It sold 68,497 copies on its first day there, grabbing the No. 1 position on Oricon’s Daily Album Ranking for June 1. This marks the group’s seventh straight Korean album to hit No. 1 on Oricon. No other fourth-generation K-pop girl group has done this.
In the United States, “PUREFLOW” pt.1 landed at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. LE SSERAFIM is the only fourth-generation K-pop girl group to put five consecutive albums in the top 10 of that chart.
ZEROBASEONE’s First 5-Member Album ‘Ascend-’ Takes Second Place
ZEROBASEONE claimed the No. 2 spot on the album chart. Their new mini album “Ascend-” is the group’s first release as a five-member team. It came out on May 19, 2026.
The title track “TOP 5” also did very well. It debuted at No. 1 on the digital download chart.
Other Big Debuts on the Album Chart
Several other groups entered the top five of the album chart this week:
- NCT’s Taeyong landed at No. 3 with his first full solo album “WYLD”
- ITZY took No. 4 with their new mini album “Motto”
- xikers rounded out the top five at No. 5 with “ROUTE ZERO : The ORA”
CORTIS Earns Double Crown on Digital and Streaming Charts
CORTIS achieved a big win this week. The group topped both the overall digital chart and the streaming chart with their hit song “REDRED.”
The top five songs were exactly the same on both charts:
- No. 1: CORTIS – “REDRED”
- No. 2: ILLIT – “It’s Me”
- No. 3: AKMU – “Paradise of Rumors”
- No. 4: AKMU – “Joy, Sorrow, A Beautiful Heart”
- No. 5: Hearts2Hearts – “RUDE!”
CORTIS also made history on Melon. They became the first boy group to make a comeback this year and reach No. 1 on the Melon weekly chart for the week of May 18 to 24. “REDRED” held the No. 1 spot on Melon’s daily chart for eight straight days from May 19 to 26.
BTS Keeps Global K-Pop Chart Crown for 10 Weeks
BTS scored a double crown of their own. They topped both the global K-pop chart and the social chart for the week.
The top four songs on the global K-pop chart stayed the same as the previous week:
- No. 1: BTS – “SWIM”
- No. 2: HUNTR/X – “Golden” (from the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack)
- No. 3: CORTIS – “REDRED”
- No. 4: ILLIT – “It’s Me”
No. 5 went to BLACKPINK’s Rosé and Bruno Mars with their hit collaboration “APT.” which climbed back up the chart this week.
“SWIM” is the title track from BTS’s fifth studio album “ARIRANG.” The song has now held the No. 1 spot on the global K-pop chart for 10 weeks in a row.
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Social Chart Rankings for the Week
On the social chart 3.0, BTS rose to No. 1. They were followed by:
- No. 2: ILLIT
- No. 3: Yena
- No. 4: aespa
- No. 5: TWICE
The download chart also saw new releases take all top five spots. ZEROBASEONE’s “TOP 5” was No. 1, followed by Taeyong’s “WYLD” at No. 2, I.O.I’s “Suddenly” at No. 3, ITZY’s “Motto” at No. 4, and Taeyang’s “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW” at No. 5.
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