Copyright independent
Korean pop group BTS are reportedly set to make their long-awaited return in 2026 with what is expected to be their biggest world tour yet and a new album. This would mark a full-group comeback for the band after its members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. The South Korean septet comprising members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook, have been working on their first group album in six years, due for release at the end of March 2026, according to Bloomberg. The record will be followed by an extensive world tour of around 65 shows, including more than 30 in North America, people familiar with the plans told the outlet. In July this year, the group had confirmed a spring comeback album during a livestream on the online fan platform WeVerse. This was also the first time all seven members had been on a broadcast together since September 2022, when they announced they were going on a hiatus as a group and would focus on solo activities. “We’re planning to release a new group album next spring,” RM had said. “Starting in July, all seven of us will gather and begin preparations. Since this is a full-group album, it will reflect everyone’s thoughts. We’re approaching it with the mindset of going back to our roots. “We’re planning a world tour to go along with the new album. We’ll be visiting different parts of the world, so please look forward to it,” he added. The new album will be their first since the 2022 anthology Proof, and the 2020 studio album Be. The band last performed together at their concert in Busan in October 2022, following which BigHit Music, the HYBE subsidiary that manages the group, announced that all seven members would fulfil their mandatory military service. BTS debuted in 2013 under the then-independent Big Hit Entertainment, standing out in South Korea’s tightly managed idol system with a mix of self-produced music and social commentary. Their early work tackled themes like academic pressure, identity, and mental health, helping the group build a devoted online following. Commercial success followed with the 2016 album Wings and the 2017 single “DNA”, which became the first Korean boy band track to enter the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2020, their English-language single “Dynamite” debuted at No 1, making them the first all-South Korean act to top the chart. BTS members began fulfilling South Korea’s mandatory military service in late 2022, starting with Jin, the eldest member, who enlisted in December that year. J-Hope followed in April 2023, Suga began his service that September, and the remaining members enlisted together in December 2023. Jin and J-Hope were discharged in 2024, and June 2025 saw the end of military service for the five BTS members. Since 2022, the band members have focused on various solo projects, both before and after returning from their military service. Jin, who released two solo albums since his return, will be completing his solo tour next week with encore concerts in South Korea’s Incheon. He began his tour in June this year, with shows across Asia, North America, and Europe. In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson from BTS’s label Hybe said: “Details regarding BTS’s new album and the scale of the world tour remain unconfirmed.”
