Global K-pop sensation BTS has become the first pop group in the world to surpass $500 million in cumulative ticket sales with its ongoing "Arirang" world tour, Billboard said. The South Korean septet's tour was the seventh by any group to reach the milestone, the U.S. music industry publication said, citing its latest Boxscore figures released Wednesday (U.S. time). "It puts them in unprecedented territory as a pop group, as the other six ensembles are all rock bands," Billboard added. Much of this milestone was driven by recent shows. In August alone — about four months after the tour began in South Korea in April — BTS staged 12 concerts, drawing about 800,000 fans and generating $171.7 million in ticket sales, according to the figures. This performance put the group at the top of Billboard's monthly Top Tours chart for the fifth time, placing it behind Bad Bunny with 10 No. 1 finishes, and Beyonce, Coldplay and Elton John with seven each. The group's August revenue was also the second-highest monthly total in Billboard Boxscore history, behind Beyonce's figure from August 2023. Wit