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K-pop boy group Ateez performs during a media showcase for its ninth EP, "The World Ep. 2: Outlaw," at KBS Arena in western Seoul on June 15, 2023. (Yonhap)

By Shim Sun-ah (ATTN: UPDATES with more details of Billboard article in paras 4, 6, background info in last 3 paras; MAKES minor edit in lead to clarify meaning; ADDS byline)

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- K-pop boy group Ateez's latest EP, "The World Ep. 2: Outlaw," has landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's highest-charting entry yet.

The EP had earned 105,500 equivalent album units in the United States since its release on June 16, including 101,000 units of album sales, Billboard said in a chart preview Sunday (U.S. time). The latest chart will be released Tuesday.

This marks the band's highest-charting record yet and the third top-10 entry of its career.

The group previously hit the top 10 with "Spin Off: From the Witness" at No. 7 in January and "The World Ep. 1: Movement at No. 3 in 2022.

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S., measured by equivalent album units comprising physical album sales and other digital sales records.

"The World EP. 2: Outlaw is the 10th album to sell at least 100,000 copies in a single week in 2023," Billboard said. Seven of the 10 albums are K-pop titles, with sales largely driven by collectible CD variants, it added.

Debuting in 2018, the eight-piece group has been known for its intense stage performances and unique music style.

"The World Ep. 2: Outlaw" is the band's ninth EP and the second installment of its "The World" album series that began with "The World Ep. 1: Movement," which dropped in July.

The album depicts the group's bold attempt to change the world, where people live in a continuous cycle of life and death like machines without feeling any particular emotions.

It comprises six tracks -- "Bouncy," "This World," "Dune," "Django," "Wake Up" and "Outlaw."