BTS’s agency, HYBE, has officially confirmed that the K-pop superstars will release a new album and embark on a global tour in 2026, AFP reported. The announcement was made during a special live broadcast that attracted more than 7 million viewers.

The seven-member group had been on a self-declared hiatus since 2022 due to South Korea’s mandatory military service for all men under 30, a requirement prompted by tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea.

Now that all members have completed their service, the group will travel to the United States in July to begin preparations for the album and tour, HYBE said in an official statement.

BTS announced their return during their first joint livestream in nearly three years, which broke records with over 7.3 million real-time views, the agency noted.

HYBE confirmed that BTS plans to release the new album in 2026, followed by a large-scale world tour. During the broadcast, group member RM stated that the album is officially scheduled for release in the spring. “Starting in the spring, we’ll also go on tour, so please look forward to seeing us around the world,” he added.

The upcoming album will be their first in four years since Proof, which was South Korea’s best-selling album of 2022 with nearly 3.5 million copies sold.

Before enlisting, BTS generated an estimated $4 billion in annual economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, accounting for approximately 0.2% of the country’s GDP.

BTS holds the record as the most-streamed group on Spotify and became the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Artist 100 charts in the United States.

The question of whether BTS should receive exemptions from military service sparked public debate in South Korea. While exemptions are granted to Olympic medalists and classical artists who win top international awards, pop stars do not qualify. Due to a lack of public consensus, the members enlisted individually, starting in late 2022. |BGNES