Wonder Girls tops year-end Billboard CD sales chart

Korean pop group Wonder Girls has topped the year-end CD sales chart in the U.S. with their hit single "Nobody".

According to statistics posted on Billboard's website (www.billboard.biz) on December 4, "Nobody" was ranked at No. 1 on the HOT Singles Sales chart for the year of 2009. The Korean girl band outsold global superstars such as Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga in CD sales during the past year.

Billboard.biz, an online extension of the prestigious Billboard magazine, delivers all the information related to the music industry including record sales, downloads, music charts as well as articles and reviews.

The commercial success of Wonder Girls appears to have been due to the effective marketing strategy implemented by the group's producer Park Jin-young. Park explained, at a press conference last year, that the girl band specifically targeted at young teenagers in the U.S. who "have no racial stereotypes and prefer CDs over digital sound sources." The Wonder Girls' CDs were sold at Justice, a kids clothing brand which has over a thousand stores across the country.

The five-member girl band, who debuted in 2007, is one of the most successful pop groups in Korea with three consecutive No. 1 singles, "Tell Me", "So Hot", and "Nobody". In October, the group's U.S. debut single "Nobody" entered the Billboard Hot100 at No. 76, making them the first Korean artists to be placed on the chart in its 115-year history.

Wonder Girls have been active in the U.S. last year -- opening for popular boy band The Jonas Brothers on their U.S. summer tour, appearing on radios and several television shows including FOX's "Wendy Williams Show" and "So You Think You Can Dance".

The group is currently recording their album in the U.S. due out in February.

Reporter : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr