[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] Boy group Identity (idntt) is continuing its rapid growth after becoming a “half-million seller” for the first time. It is drawing attention as it is highly unusual for a rookie boy group not affiliated with a major agency to surpass 500,000 copies in first-week album sales.

According to Hanteo Chart, an album sales tracking site, on the 28th, the first-week sales of IDENTITY’s mini-album “It’s Not Over” (itsnotover), released on the 13th, totaled 568,000 copies.
This marks Identity’s highest-ever first-week sales figure. In the K-pop industry, first-week sales are widely regarded as an indicator of the size of a group’s dedicated fanbase, as they reflect the number of albums purchased immediately after release. This is the first time Identity—which debuted in August of last year—has surpassed 500,000 copies in first-week sales, a milestone known as a “half-million seller.”
According to Hanteo Chart statistics, only 27 albums surpassed 500,000 in cumulative sales during the first half of this year. Among boy groups not affiliated with major agencies, only ATEEZ, PLVE, and ANDBLE have achieved “half-million seller” status. This highlights Identity’s competitiveness in the music market.
Identity is a group launched by Mode House in August of last year. What sets this group apart is its unique approach: after kicking off activities as a unit rather than as a “full lineup,” it has been introducing its 24 members one by one.
Twenty members are participating in this album promotion. Identity is capturing the attention of K-pop fans with its gradually expanding group narrative and mega-performances that leverage its large lineup.

◇Applying the Triple S Success Model
Previously, Mode House launched the 24-member girl group Triple S using this same approach and put it on the path to success. Triple S also achieved half-million-seller status twice with albums released last year and this year.
The system—which determines unit lineups and promotional tracks based on the results of the “Gravity” fan vote conducted through the company’s proprietary app “Cosmo,” and links revenue from “Objects” (individual photo cards utilizing NFT technology) to each member’s earnings—is identical to the approach applied to Triple S. It is widely acknowledged that incorporating this operational model, which fostered high fan engagement, into their identity has driven rapid growth.
A Mode House representative told Edaily that day, “The fact that fans could help complete the project through voting led to their high level of participation,” adding, “A solid worldview and the boys’ coming-of-age narrative are acting as catalysts that heighten the fandom’s engagement.”
Identity’s achievements are drawing even more attention in conjunction with the success of the girl group Lisenne, which is writing the “miracle of a small-to-medium-sized idol group” by climbing back up the music charts. Amid this, Identity has proven its upward momentum through this comeback campaign, taking first place on music shows such as MBC M and MBC Every1’s “Show Champion” and KBS 2TV’s “Music Bank” with their title track “Kids Return.” They will kick off their first fan concert tour on the 8th and 9th of next month at the Yonsei University Grand Auditorium in Seoul.
During their comeback showcase, Identity stated, “While preparing for this promotion, we felt the overwhelming energy generated by our large-scale group choreography, which further strengthened our confidence in promoting as a full 24-member group,” and set winning the “MAMA Awards” Rookie of the Year award as their goal for this year’s activities.