BLACKPINK’s “DDU-DU DDU-DU” Becomes First K-Pop Group Video to Reach 2.4 Billion YouTube Views

BLACKPINK has added another major benchmark to its record-setting YouTube history. The group’s music video for “DDU-DU DDU-DU” surpassed 2.4 billion views on the platform on the morning of July 25 KST, making it the first music video by a K-pop group to reach that figure.

The achievement places the 2018 single in rare company among Korean pop releases. To date, the only other K-pop music video known to have crossed 2.4 billion YouTube views is PSY’s 2012 global hit “Gangnam Style.” For a group release, BLACKPINK now stands alone at that level, underscoring the lasting power of one of the quartet’s signature tracks.

“DDU-DU DDU-DU” was released on June 15, 2018, at 6 p.m. KST as the title track of BLACKPINK’s first Korean mini album, Square Up. The video reached the new milestone a little more than eight years, one month, and nine days after its release. That timeline reflects not only the explosive popularity the song enjoyed when it arrived, but also the steady replay value it has maintained across multiple generations of K-pop listeners.

A Signature Hit With Long-Term Reach

When “DDU-DU DDU-DU” arrived, it quickly became one of BLACKPINK’s defining statements: a hard-edged pop track built around a sharp hook, confident rap sections, and a chorus designed for immediate recognition. The accompanying video matched that identity with high-contrast styling, striking sets, and choreography that became widely referenced across fan edits, dance covers, and online clips.

In the years since, the song has remained a central part of BLACKPINK’s global image. Its title phrase is still one of the most recognizable hooks associated with the group, while the video continues to function as an entry point for new fans discovering the act through YouTube. That kind of sustained traffic is especially important in K-pop, where major releases often experience intense early attention but only a smaller number of videos keep drawing large audiences year after year.

The 2.4 billion-view mark also highlights how YouTube remains one of the most visible scoreboards for K-pop’s international reach. While streaming charts, album sales, concerts, and social platforms each tell part of the story, music video views capture a public-facing form of longevity. A video at this scale is not only watched during a comeback cycle; it becomes part of the wider digital memory around an artist.

Why The Milestone Matters

BLACKPINK’s latest record arrives at a time when K-pop’s global infrastructure is far larger than it was in 2018. More groups now launch with international campaigns, multilingual fanbases, and short-form video strategies designed from the start. Yet “DDU-DU DDU-DU” continues to grow from an earlier phase of the industry’s global expansion, when BLACKPINK was helping push girl group visibility into new markets.

That context makes the number more than a simple view count. It shows how a single release can keep accumulating cultural weight long after the original promotional period has ended. For BLACKPINK, the milestone reinforces the group’s position as one of K-pop’s most internationally recognizable acts. For the broader industry, it demonstrates how a music video can become a durable global asset when song identity, visuals, performance, and fandom momentum align.

The record also points to BLACKPINK’s unusually strong catalog performance. The group has repeatedly generated high view counts across multiple videos, but “DDU-DU DDU-DU” has remained the leader because it captures a specific turning point in the act’s career. It helped define the group’s sound for casual audiences, expanded their international visibility, and gave fans a visual language that has remained easy to revisit.

As K-pop view records continue to rise, the 2.4 billion milestone sets a new reference point for group music videos. BLACKPINK’s achievement shows that a release can move beyond comeback success and become a long-running global fixture, still drawing attention more than eight years after it first premiered.