Stray Kids continues to solidify their position as one of K-pop’s leading global acts as their latest album, ‘KARMA’, demonstrates exceptional staying power on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
The album’s consistent performance has led to the group breaking multiple charting records, underscoring their steady and growing international influence.
Re-Entry and Chart Durability
In the most recent chart week (which corresponds to the chart dated November 22, 2025, U.S. local time), the album ‘KARMA’ re-entered the Billboard 200 chart at a high position of #42.
This re-entry marks a significant achievement in terms of chart durability:
Stray Kids (Credit: YouTube)
- 12 Consecutive Weeks in the Top 100: ‘KARMA’ has now spent 12 consecutive weeks in the Top 100 of the Billboard 200.
- Top 50 Presence: The album spent 8 of those 12 weeks inside the Top 50, illustrating its consistent commercial appeal in the competitive U.S. market.
New K-Pop and 4th-Gen Milestones
The sustained success of ‘KARMA’ has resulted in two major, new records for the group and the industry:
- Longest-Charting 2025 K-Pop Album: ‘KARMA’ is the first 2025 K-pop album to remain in the Billboard 200 Top 100 for 12 consecutive weeks.
- Longest-Charting 4th-Gen Boy Group Album: The album surpassed Stray Kids’ own previous release, ‘5-STAR’ (2023), to become the longest-charting 4th-generation boy group album to spend 12 straight weeks in the Top 100 of the Billboard 200.
Broader Context of ‘KARMA’s Success
These longevity records build upon the album’s incredible debut:
Historic Debut: ‘KARMA’ initially debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in August 2025. This marked Stray Kids’ seventh consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the chart, setting a historic record for the K-pop industry by becoming the K-pop act with the most No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, surpassing BTS’s record of six.
Commercial Power: The album’s ability to not only debut strongly but maintain a presence on the chart for three months demonstrates a robust and engaged international fanbase (STAY) who continue to support the group’s sales and streaming figures.
Stray Kids’ performance with ‘KARMA’ is a clear indicator of their expanding global reach and their status as a dominant force in the current generation of K-pop.
Actor Hyun Bin’s win for the prestigious Best Actor award at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards on November 19, 2025, has triggered a significant controversy online, with many netizens and critics expressing strong disagreement with the decision.
The win for his performance in the film Harbin immediately went viral, largely due to public sentiment that another nominee was more deserving.
The Winning Performance and the Nominees
Hyun Bin secured the trophy for his performance in the highly acclaimed movie Harbin. However, he faced stiff competition from a strong field of nominees:
- Park Jung Min for The Ugly (The actor most frequently cited by netizens as the rightful winner).
- Sul Kyung Gu for A Normal Family.
- Lee Byung Hun for Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice.
- Jo Jung Suk for My Daughter Is a Zombie.
Hyun Bin (Credit: YouTube)
Netizen Backlash Focuses on Park Jung Min
The majority of the backlash was not aimed at criticizing Hyun Bin personally, but rather expressing shock and disappointment that Park Jung Min did not win for his role in The Ugly.
“No, but seriously… Park Jung Min.” “I thought Park Jung Min from The Ugly would win…” “I can’t believe it wasn’t Park Jung Min ㅠㅠ” “Why did Hyun Bin win?”
This public reaction highlights a common phenomenon in major awards ceremonies, where the results often clash with widespread critical or popular consensus regarding the best performance of the year.
