HYBE, the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS, has reported a record second quarter, swinging back to an operating profit as concert revenue from BTS's ARIRANG world tour surged. Revenue more than doubled year-on-year to a record KRW 1.45 trillion (about $967 million), with the company crediting the tour and broader activity across its HYBE MUSIC GROUP labels for the turnaround, following a loss-making first quarter caused by a one-off compensation charge.

Concert revenue jumped 243.3% year-on-year to KRW 647.7 billion ($432 million), while recorded music revenue rose 43% to KRW 326.8 billion ($218 million), boosted by BTS's fifth studio album ARIRANG, which topped US vinyl and CD sales rankings in the first half of the year. Operating profit reached KRW 170.9 billion ($114 million) and net profit hit KRW 109.8 billion ($73 million), up more than sixfold year-on-year. HYBE's artists held 119 performances in the first half, with over 200 more planned, while merchandise, licensing and fan platform Weverse also posted record figures, reflecting a wider boom in K-pop exports from South Korea.