BTS to Make a Full-Group Comeback on March 20…Releasing New Music After Completing Military Service

The global K-pop group BTS has confirmed a full-group comeback with the release of a new album on March 20, 2026.

HYBE MUSIC announced the comeback news through New Year cards sent to Gold members of the fan platform Weverse on January 1. The cards, which included personal handwritten messages from RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, featured the specific date “2026.3.20” printed on them. RM wrote in the letter, “Finally, finally, finally, 2026 has arrived... BTS is coming,” while Jin emphasized, “We are greeting you as a team.” Jimin said, “The year we’ve been waiting for has finally come,” and j-hope expressed, “It’s the year when we can be together again.”

This album will be BTS’s first full studio album since “Be” in 2020, as well as their first new music release in approximately 3 years and 9 months since the anthology album “Proof” in June 2022. RM hinted at this through Weverse on December 21, saying, “Let’s make 2026 the year of BTS. Something really big is coming,” and he also shared footage of the recording and editing process for the new songs included in the album.

Global reactions came swiftly after the members announced the comeback. HYBE MUSIC stated that fans’ voluntary streaming of the track “Dallaera Bangtan” from the 2022 album “Proof” helped the song reach number one on iTunes’ “Top Songs” charts in 61 countries worldwide. At the same time, hashtags and phrases such as #BTScomeback2026, “The Kings Are Coming Back,” and “2026 Year of BTS and ARMY” spread rapidly on X (formerly Twitter).

International media also paid close attention. The outlet stated that BTS’s new album and tour will serve as a decisive factor in injecting renewed vitality into the entire industry. BTS plans to resume a large-scale world tour alongside the album release, with performances scheduled in major cities including Paris.

The members also openly discussed the pressure involved in the preparation process. RM revealed in a video broadcast that the preparations were not easy and that he sometimes asked himself questions about the future, admitting, “The anticipation is so high that it’s hard to sleep.”