Stray Kids has added another country-specific milestone to the long chart life of “THIS & THAT.” The mini album has been certified gold in France after reaching 50,000 equivalent sales units, JYP Entertainment said on September 3.
The award is the group’s sixth gold album in France. That number makes the news more useful than a generic “global success” headline: it shows that the French audience has supported multiple Stray Kids eras, not only one breakout release.
France Adds a Sixth Gold Line
France’s recording-industry body, SNEP, awards album gold at 50,000 units. Yonhap reported that “THIS & THAT” reached that mark about 20 days after its August 7 release.
It joins five earlier Stray Kids releases with French gold status, including “5-STAR,” “ROCK-STAR,” “ATE,” “HOP” and “KARMA.” The sequence crosses studio albums, mini albums and the group’s SKZHOP HIPTAPE format.
That is the clearest way to read “sixth”: as a pattern of repeat demand. A single certification can follow one concentrated campaign. Six certified projects suggest an audience willing to return when the concept, title track and packaging change.
Fifty Thousand Units Is Not Fifty Thousand CDs
The word units matters. The French threshold combines physical album sales, downloads and qualifying streams under SNEP’s conversion rules. It should not be rewritten as 50,000 physical copies unless the certifying body publishes a physical-only figure.
This distinction is especially important in K-pop, where collectible editions remain powerful but streaming also contributes to national certifications. The award measures consumption in one market through more than one route.
The Album’s U.S. Peak Changes the Scale
“THIS & THAT” had already opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming Stray Kids’ ninth album to top the U.S. chart. Billboard’s chart history also shows the release remaining in the upper tier after its debut week.
The U.S. No. 1 and the French gold award measure different things. Billboard ranks one week of American album consumption against every other title on the chart. SNEP certification recognizes a cumulative French threshold. One is a weekly position; the other is an accumulation marker.
Putting them together is still useful. The two results show that the album’s reach was not confined to one chart system or one fan market.
One Achievement, Two Different Markets
“THIS & THAT” arrived with an official JYP release campaign built around the title track’s contrast between sharp impact and a cooler, restrained mood. The French result now gives that campaign a measurable European endpoint.
It is tempting to turn every country result into a contest between fandoms. The better comparison is within the group’s own catalogue. Six gold albums mean the threshold has survived changes in sound, promotion and release timing.
For listeners, the practical takeaway is simple: the new certificate belongs to the album, not only the title track, and it is based on recorded French consumption rather than an online vote.
What to Watch After Certification Day
Certifications do not predict the next chart position. They do establish a new floor in the group’s international record book.
The next meaningful indicators will be whether “THIS & THAT” advances to a higher French certification and how long it remains active on album charts after the release-week rush. Those are future questions. As of September 3, the confirmed line is already substantial: 50,000 French units, a sixth gold album, and another market where Stray Kids’ catalogue has moved beyond a one-release event.
